


Game Face

by mjduncan



Series: Dancing [2]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Adam Cabot, Andy Cabot, Bryan Cabot, Bryn Cabot, Carolyn Cabot, F/F, Jake Cabot-Bernhardt, Jill Cabot-Bernhardt, John Cabot-Bernhardt, Maggie Cabot, Matt Cabot, Random inappropriate humor, seriously.....it's silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-29
Updated: 2012-03-29
Packaged: 2017-11-02 16:43:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 68,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/371178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mjduncan/pseuds/mjduncan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Picks up where 'Dancing' left off...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Two Weeks Earlier: The Night of The People v. Walker Verdict

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in these works, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As these works are an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, they constitute fair use. References to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

“What did Carmichael mean when she said that you owe her a song?” Elliot turned his attention to his partner who was looking at the ceiling as if she were hoping it would fall down on them and spare her whatever impending misery Carmichael was alluding to.

“Yeah,” Fin and Munch echoed as they each took a small step forward so they were standing that much closer to Olivia.

Olivia sighed and resigned herself to her fate. “Okay, first of all – never, and I mean never, play Truth or Dare with that woman,” she lectured her squad mates as she pointed emphatically at Abbie who had hopped the railing separating the gallery from the business half of the courtroom to give Serena a congratulatory hug. “And, second, I need your help.”

“What kind of help are we talkin’ about here?” Fin asked, immediately wary.

Olivia sighed and motioned for the guys to follow her off to the side of the room, away from the small cluster of lawyers. “We’re talking breakfast and good coffee from that fancy place on the corner for a month if you help me out here,” she pleaded.

“Wow,” Fin nodded. “That’s serious.”

“I know,” Olivia groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose as she shook her head in disbelief.

“If you have a migraine my third wife’s second cousin is an acupuncturist,” Munch offered.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Olivia rolled her eyes at him. “So – are you in?”

“Of course,” Elliot answered for the group and the other guys nodded their agreement. “Just tell us what you need.”

“Okay, see, here’s the thing,” Olivia started to explain in a hushed whisper. The guys crowded in to hear better and she was at the tail end of explaining what she needed to happen when she felt Alex’s hand on her elbow.

“You guys ready to go?” Alex asked tentatively.

Olivia looked up at the guys. “Are we?”

“Yeah,” they all nodded.

Olivia turned to take Alex’s hand in her own. “Yeah, we’re ready.”

“You’re not really going to do it are you?” Alex whispered hesitantly as she allowed the brunette to lead their motley group down the aisle and out of the courtroom towards the bank of elevators that would lead to the back exit of the courthouse.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Olivia paced in the corner of the bar, oblivious to the fact that it was definitely more full than usual or that Danny behind the bar was looking rather expectantly excited about something. She also failed to notice when Liz Donnelly entered the bar with Maggie and Matt Cabot on her heels.

“Okay Liv, you got this one,” Elliot tried to pump his partner up as Fin and John joined them at their usual table in the back. Olivia was standing in front of the table looking like she was about to face the firing squad and he had been left to make sure she didn’t do something stupid like down a bottle of Jack while Fin and Munch disappeared to, as Fin put it, ‘take care of things for our girl here’. He look at Fin questioningly, and was answered with a small nod while he mouthed the words, _they all know_. “Just … put your game face on and do it,” he turned his attention to Olivia.

“Yeah, game face Benson, you got this,” Fin encouraged as he caught the eye of a few of his old buddies from narcotics and nodded. They, in turn, grinned and started passing instructions along to those who were standing closest to them, and so on and so forth.

Oblivious to the firestorm of instructions that was flowing through the bar around her, Olivia stared at the ceiling and groaned. “You guys all know what you’re supposed to do?” she double checked and was answered with three bobbing heads and three identically goofy grins. “You are all enjoying this too damned much,” she mumbled.

“You got this Liv,” Elliot assured her.

“Okay, yeah,” Olivia bounced on the balls of her feet. “Yeah. Okay, let’s go,” she nodded as she led the way across the bar to where Alex was perched gracefully on a stool.

“Excuse me, miss?” she tapped Alex on the shoulder.

The bar went silent.

“Yes?” Alex swung around on the stool, a silly smile similar to the ones Elliot, Fin and Much were wearing plastered on her face.

Olivia gritted her teeth for a moment, _Game face Benson – you got this_ , before she began to sing, “You never close your eyes anymore, when I kiss your lips. There’s no tenderness like before in your fingertips … You’re trying hard not to show it …”

The entire bar blew up, “BABY!”

Alex clapped a surprised hand over her mouth as her eyes grew large as saucers. “No way,” she whispered as she stared out at the bar, the bar that was now enthusiastically serenading her.

“BUT BABY, BABY I KNOOOOW IT.”

By this point Alex was blushing scarlet to the tips of her ears and Olivia was grinning like everybody else in the bar. The place was packed full of raucously singing cops, lawyers and a couple random guys that Fin had pulled in from the street. Everybody was being spurred on by Abbie Carmichael, who had kicked off her shoes and was now jumping up and down on the bar, waving her arms along with the beat, and singing along as loud as she could.

“YOU’VE LOST, THAT LOVIN’ FEELIN’. WOOOOOA THAT LOVIN’ FEELING … YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVIN’ FEELING NOW IT’S GONE …”

Danny, behind the bar, had his video camera out and was playing amateur cinematographer, capturing the entire event on tape for posterity; and Maggie Cabot was standing on a table in the back with her own video camera zoomed in on Alexandra’s face, making sure to capture Alex’s expressions through the entire song.

“GONE, GONE…”

“This is amazing!” Liz Donnelly climbed up onto the booth and hollered into Maggie’s ear as she clapped and sang along.

“We are so breaking this video out at Thanksgiving!” Matt grinned up at his sister and Liz.

“WHOA-OH-OH-OH-OH”

Maggie turned her attention away from the tiny screen on her camera long enough to share, “Abbie wants to edit the tapes together and stick them up on YouTube.”

“DA-DUM, DA-DUM, DA-DUM-DUM-DUM”

“Genius,” Liz crowed. “Damn I love that girl!”

“DA-DUM, DA-DUM, DA-DUM-DUM DUM.”

Alex laughingly pulled Olivia down onto her lap and wrapped her arms around the brunette while Elliot took over the lead vocals, “Baby, baby, I get down on my knees for you … if you would only love me, like you used to do-oooh, yeah.”

The entire bar chimed in again at full volume, “WE HAD A LOVE … A LOVE … A LOVE YOU DON’T FIND EVERY DAAAAY.”

Alex, who was now laughing so hard that there were tears coursing down her cheeks, tucked her chin onto Olivia’s shoulder to watch the show while Abbie, who was still intent on leading her flock through the finer points of the song, began pointing emphatically along with the lyrics, “SO DON’T … DON’T … DON’T … LET IT SLIP AWAAAAAAY.”

Elliot, grinning like a maniac, took a graceful bow as he handed the floor over to Fin and Munch who tag-teamed the next section rather impressively with Fin taking the lead, “Baby”

And Munch the echo, “Baby”

“Baby”

“Baby”

“I beg of you please”

“Please”

“I need your love”

“I need your love”

“I need your love”

“I need your love”

“So bring it on back”

“So bring it on back”

“Bring it on back”

“So bring it on back”

They both held their hands up victoriously when they finished their little section and the crowd obligingly chimed back in, “BRING BACK THAT LOVIN’ FEELING, WHOA, THAT LOVIN’ FEELING, BRING BACK THAT LOVIN’ FEELING … ‘CAUSE IT’S GONE … GONE … GONE … NOOOOOO”

Elliot grabbed Olivia by the hand and pulled her back out with the rest of the squad for the grand finale, for which they all dropped to one knee in front of Alex and clasped their hands dramatically over their hearts, to sing enthusiastically, “BRING BACK THAT LOVIN’ FEELING, WHOA THAT LOVIN’ FEELING … BRING BACK THAT LOVIN’ FEELING ‘CAUSE IT’S GONE … GONE … GONE … WHOOOOOA.”

Alex, still blushing to the roots of her hair, clapped enthusiastically once the song was finished and jumped up from her chair to pull Olivia and all of the guys into a gigantic laughing group hug. “You guys are amazing!” she yelled over the crowd’s cheers and catcalls.

“Our pleasure honey,” Fin smiled as he reached over Olivia’s back to squeeze the blonde’s shoulder affectionately.

Olivia, still laughing, leaned in close to Alex and told her, “I love you Alex.”

Alex turned to look at Olivia, her blue eyes twinkling with laughter, “I love you too Liv.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Liz,” Alex called out tentatively as she poked her head into her boss’ office. “Got a sec?”

Liz Donnelly looked up at the wary blonde blocking her doorway and nodded quickly before returning her attention to her computer screen, the phone in her hand hanging limp from her ear as she presumably waited on hold for something. “Charlie,” she nodded.

“Not you too,” Alex rolled her eyes.

“It’s Charlie or a return to being called the Arrogant Annoying Know-it-All – your choice,” Liz drawled as she sat up and punched a few keys on her keyboard before sitting back in her chair with a grin.

“Charlie is fine,” Alex groaned.

Liz held up a finger as her grip on her phone tightened. “Yes? Did you find what I was asking for? … Excellent. … No, I don’t need a hard copy, you can either send me an electronic file of the jacket or fax me a copy of it – whichever would be easiest for you. … Alright, thank you. I’ll keep an eye on my inbox then. Thanks again,” she smiled and dropped her phone back into its cradle.

“Please tell me it’s not SVU that you’re looking into,” Alex muttered as she dropped into one of the visitor’s chairs fronting Donnelly’s desk.

“It’s not SVU,” Liz smiled. “Your cousin is bringing a new girlfriend to Thanksgiving and Maggie wanted me to check her out, make sure she wasn’t trouble.”

“My cousin…,” Alex murmured as she ran through the list of Cabot cousins, quickly coming to the conclusion that the only ones left who weren’t married were herself, Adam, and … “Really?” she drawled.

“Indeed,” Liz smiled.

“What about Luke?”

“Gone with the wind,” Liz waved her hand airily. “And, good riddance – I never liked that boy.”

“Who is she?”

“You will find out at Thanksgiving,” Liz smiled. “I didn’t tell her about your new beau, and I won’t tell you about hers. So, did you need something? Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready for the Stevens extradition hearing tomorrow?”

“Yeah, see,” Alex shifted slightly in her seat. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Standard protocol dictates that a detective from the arresting unit accompany the ADA arguing for extradition. Mostly to take care of the transfer of the prisoner to the possession of the Marshals, but also in case testimony is needed to sway the court to our way of thinking.”

“I did used to have your job, Alexandra,” Liz smiled. “I don’t need you to walk me through procedures.”

“Yes, Liz,” Alex nodded.

“Is it safe to presume from your rambling that you would like to request Detective Benson to be the one who accompanies you down to Philadelphia?”

Alex nodded. “Yes. And I know that she’s not listed as fit for active duty but …”

“You want me to ignore protocol and let her go anyways,” Liz finished for her.

“Yes.”

“Why should I ignore perfectly reasonable protocol and let you take her with you?”

Alex sighed and shrugged. “Because I’m your favorite goddaughter?”

Liz pursed her lips and shook her head no. “That very well may be true, but that’s not why I’m going to okay it.”

“But you are going to okay it?” Alex sat up straighter and leaned forward in her chair expectantly.

Liz smiled and nodded. “I’m going to okay it because you and your Detectives have reached the half million hit mark on your YouTube video.”

“Half a million?” Alex gasped. “How? Why?” she frowned.

“You’ve gone viral, my dear,” Liz laughed. “Jessie down in the secretary pool told me that it’s being spread like wildfire on Facebook. You’re on Facebook, haven’t you seen it?”

“Yes I have an account, but I haven’t been on in a while – life got a little crazy lately,” Alex replied slowly. “It’s really being linked all over Facebook?” she frowned and bit her lower lip worriedly.

“Game face on Cabot,” Liz admonished. “And, for the record, if the _Today Show_ calls like the rumor mill is predicting … you **_and_** ,” she emphasized the word, “your Detectives are to make an appearance. That’s a direct order from Branch and One PP.”

“Oh god,” Alex leaned back in her chair and pinched the bridge of her nose in a futile attempt to head off the headache that she knew would be coming.

“I’ll call down to Captain Cragen, if you can convince him to let Benson go with you – it’s fine with me. I’ll expect a report from you as soon as the hearing is over.”

“Yes Liz,” Alex mumbled as she stood and made to leave, pausing with her hand on the door to ask, “The _Today Show_ , seriously?”

Liz folded her hands in front of her face and grinned. “The _Today Show_ Counselor,” she nodded. “Damn I love that Abbie Carmichael.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Olivia ran a hand through her short spiky hair as she blew out a long loud breath of frustration. _Goddamn desk duty_ , she thought to herself as she flipped closed the DD-5 file she’d just finished and tossed it onto the rapidly growing ‘completed’ pile in the middle of her and Elliot’s desks. _Just because I got freaking shot doesn’t mean that I deserve to be everybody’s stupid_ secretary, she pouted as she pulled a fresh file and opened it to the first page. She was pulled out of her mini-funk by the familiar _click-clack_ of heels that were heading down the hall toward the squad room.

“Where is everybody?” Alex asked as she came to a stop beside Olivia’s desk, her gaze automatically scanning the nearly empty room.

“Interview One trying to break Johnson,” Olivia answered, unable to keep the small scowl of displeasure off her face. She wanted to be in there with them but no, she was stuck out in the squad room riding the proverbial pine.

“Liv,” Alex groaned as she sat on the corner of Olivia’s desk. “It’s only been three weeks since you were shot – not even four full days since you got back released to come back to work. You can’t expect to be running at full speed, you were shot for god’s sake!”

“I know,” Olivia murmured as she fought the urge to place her hand on her girlfriend’s thigh. “I just hate this,” she whined pathetically.

“I know baby,” Alex murmured. “But at least you’ve got your sling off already,” she tried to sound reassuring. “Your strength and range of motion is improving every day. I might have a surprise to ask you about soon, and in six days we’ll be heading up to Boston for the grand Cabot Clan Thanksgiving.”

Olivia was about to inquire as to what the surprise Alex alluded to was when the guys came pouring out of the interview room, all of them wearing identical grins.

“We got him!” Elliot called out victoriously, pumping a fist in the air for good measure. “Stupid prick actually thought that slipping GHB into a girl’s drink wasn’t illegal,” he shook his head in disgust.

“So we can add possession and distribution of a controlled substance to his laundry list,” Alex grinned. “Excellent.”

“Hey!” Fin called out, surprised by the blonde ADA’s appearance. “Charlie’s here!”

“Charlie!” Elliot and Munch yelled as they clasped their hands in front of their chests and bowed dramatically before Alex.

“Angels,” Alex nodded at the boys and Olivia sniggered indelicately.

“You here for us?” Munch arched a brow questioningly.

“Nope, need to speak to Bosley,” Alex grinned. “He around?”

“In his office,” Olivia answered her girlfriend’s query. “And you know he’ll freak if he hears you call him that.”

“Yeah, but it’s just too easy to resist,” Alex smiled and hopped off of Olivia’s desk. “Well, I guess I should get back to work,” she announced with a dramatic sigh before she leaned in close and whispered against the brunette’s ear. “Don’t go anywhere Detective, this week might be looking up for the both of us very soon.”

Olivia could only blush and nod at the smoky sexiness in Alex’s voice, and by the time she’d managed to find her own the striking blonde had already disappeared into Cragen’s office.

“What do you think Charlie needs with Cragen?” Fin asked.

“You guys do know that she’s getting more than a little fed up with the ‘Charlie’ references, right?” Olivia chuckled.

“Yeah,” Munch nodded. “But, we kind of like being known as Cabot’s Angels.”

“Oh, yeah,” Elliot looked up as if he remembered something important. “I talked to the banner guy and he said a custom job like that would run us about seventy five. He’s cutting us a deal, has a soft spot for the boys and girls in blue.”

“Do I want to know?” Olivia groaned.

“Probably not,” Fin chuckled. “Count me in El.”

“Me too,” Munch nodded. “How long does he think it’ll take?”

“He said that he’d put a rush on it and we’d have it by Monday if I got the order in to him by four,” Elliot replied as he needlessly glanced at his watch. “Want me to call him and set it up?”

“Set what up?” Olivia asked.

“You’ll find out soon enough Olivia,” John grinned. “You don’t want us to tell you and ruin the surprise, do you?”

“Speaking of surprises,” Olivia muttered as her mind jumped tracks back to a certain blonde ADA’s earlier cryptic statement. “Have any of you heard anything…,”

Her question was interrupted by Cragen yanking his door open and bellowing, “Benson, in here. Now!”

“Oooooh,” the boys all sang childishly.

“How the hell do you get in trouble riding the desk Liv?” Elliot asked.

Olivia shrugged and stood. “I dunno. Maybe I was too efficient filling out all of your fives?” she mocked over her shoulder as she quickly crossed the room and entered the Captain’s office. She closed the door behind her, dampening the sounds of raucous teasing and laughter, and asked, “Something I can help you with Cap?”

Cragen nodded at Alex and the ADA turned to address Olivia. “I was just updating Don as to the latest developments in the Stevens extradition case,” Alex informed her girlfriend who was still looking confused.

“Okay,” Olivia nodded hesitantly.

“Detective,” Cragen interrupted them. “I want you to accompany Ms. Cabot to the extradition hearing in Philadelphia.”

“Okay,” Olivia drawled. “Don’t I have to have an active duty classification to take on such a role?”

Alex frowned and glared at Olivia. It had taken her having to practically grovel at Liz’s feet to get Donnelly to okay her request for Olivia to join her on the trip and now the good Detective was trying to talk herself out of it? Never mind the possible Today Show Appearance that she was threatened with? Promised? Sworn to compliance for? _What the hell?!_ “If you would rather stay here and process the stack of fives that seems to have grown in size even during the time you’ve been in this office Detective,” Alex glowered, “then I will leave you to your physician imposed desk duty and take one of the guys with me instead.”

Realizing that she’d just had an ‘open mouth, insert foot’ moment, Olivia quickly backpedaled. “That wasn’t what I’d meant at all Counselor,” she purposefully put a plaintive tone onto Alex’s title. “I was simply …,” she tried to come up with an explanation that wouldn’t get her into more hot water but couldn’t come up with anything. “Ah hell, fuck it. Cap, I can really go with Alex?”

Cragen smiled and nodded. “You can really go with Alex. I’m sure the guys will make sure to save their paperwork for you to do once you get back.”

“Great,” Olivia groaned. “When is the hearing?” she turned to Alex.

“Tomorrow morning,” Alex replied, her tone serious.

 _Crap, I think I really screwed up just now,_ Olivia thought to herself. “So are we leaving at dawn or going down tonight?”

“We will most definitely be going down tonight,” Alex assured the brunette, a mischievous smile tweaking her lips, the arch of her brows indicating that Olivia might be taking such a trip more than once to make up for her earlier blunder.

 _Ohmygod Alex,_ Olivia thought, _Dad is like … right there!_ “I see,” she answered calmly. “What time are you thinking we should try to leave around?”

“As soon as you get yourself packed we can go,” Alex replied with an authoritative nod of her head for emphasis. “I figure if we leave now we can beat some of the traffic and I can do some work once we get to the hotel.”

“Cap?” Olivia turned to Cragen to check for his approval.

“Alex already cleared it with Donnelly so I don’t have a problem with it,” Don smiled. “It’s not like those fives are going to be going anywhere, you might as well help out our ADA.”

“Yes sir,” Olivia nodded, a little too enthusiastically.

“Right then,” Cragen hooked his thumbs into his suspenders and smiled. “Why don’t you two get out of here and pack. I’ll see you Monday morning Olivia, you better not be in this weekend.”

“I can promise you she will not be here this weekend Don,” Alex stood and gathered her satchel. “I will make sure of it myself.”

“I’m sure you will Counselor,” Cragen smiled. “Good luck in Philadelphia, let me know how it goes.”

“Yes sir,” Olivia nodded again.

“You got it,” Alex smiled. “Thank you Don.”

Olivia smiled her thanks at her Captain before falling into step behind Alex who had left the office with a purposeful set to her shoulder and, if you knew what to look for, an energized bounce to her step.

“You okay Liv?” Elliot asked as she stopped at her desk to retrieve her keys and coat.

“Yeah,” she looked up and winked. “Our esteemed ADA requires assistance for an extradition hearing in Philly tomorrow,” she informed him. “Cap told me to go make sure she doesn’t get into trouble.”

“I heard that Detective,” Alex admonished playfully from her position in the doorway. “Are you coming?”

“Not yet,” Elliot sang under his breath as he waggled his eyebrows at Olivia.

“Perv,” Olivia laughed and threw a wadded up piece of paper at him. “Right away Counselor,” she assured Alex. “Your wish is my command.”

“Whipped,” Elliot murmured and was rewarded with a resounding smack to the back of his head.

Across the room and safe from physical retaliation Fin made a whipping sound as he pantomimed cracking one.

“You’re just jealous,” Olivia smiled at the group.

“Damn right,” Fin grinned.

“Angels,” Alex pompously addressed the three men. “Keep up the good work, I shall return on Monday. If you need me, call Liz,” she winked.

“Go get some, Cabot,” Elliot grinned.

Alex paused mid step and turned to glare at him. “What was that Stabler?”

Elliot held his hands up and shrugged. “I said go get ‘em, Cabot.”

“Uh huh, yeah right,” Alex grumbled.

“See you Monday!” Munch called out merrily.


	3. Chapter 3

Alex smiled to herself as she looked over at Olivia who was reclined in the passenger seat catching a quick nap. They still had another hour or so until they reached Philadelphia and she was glad to see Olivia getting some rest. She’d been worried when Olivia had managed to sweet talk her doctor into releasing her for desk duty, and the (admittedly shorter than usual) days at the precinct definitely seemed to wear on the Detective.

“Stop staring,” Olivia grumbled without opening her eyes. “You’re keeping me awake.”

“I haven’t made a sound,” Alex retorted. “And how do you know that I’m staring?”

“Remember our conversation about the warm and tingly feeling I get wherever your eyes land on my body?” Olivia smirked, her eyes still closed.

“Oh yeah,” Alex feigned recollection. “Of course. How terribly inconsiderate of me to surreptitiously ogle my devastatingly handsome girlfriend while she’s sleeping.”

“I’m impressed you feel I warrant the use of so many fifty cent words after my idiotic rambling in Cragen’s office earlier,” Olivia replied.

“Well,” Alex drawled as she reached across the center console and ran the tip of her index finger down the edge of Olivia’s jaw. “I was kind of hoping you’d feel motivated to make that up to me once we get to the hotel.”

“I figured as much,” Olivia chucked as she turned her head toward the blonde behind the wheel and finally opened her eyes. “I can’t believe you broke out the ‘going down’ innuendo in Dad’s office.”

“But you will be Detective, several times if I have my way,” Alex licked her lips seductively. “And vice versa.”

“Well, then you should stop staring and let me get back to my nap,” Olivia grinned but before she could even try to fall back asleep Alex’s cell phone started ringing. “Whose ringtone is that?” she asked.

“I’m too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt,” Alex sang along. “Give you one guess.”

“Well, I would, love,” Olivia winked. “But I’m sitting right here so I have to admit that I am a little concerned as to who else you would assign that tone to.”

Alex laughed low and deep. “I didn’t set that – Abbie did. Think we should answer it?”

“Might as well,” Olivia sighed. “I haven’t been mortally embarrassed yet today.”

Alex nodded and pushed the handy Bluetooth connect button on her steering wheel, “Abigail,” she answered dryly.

 _“Well fuck me twice and call me Shirley, y’all are famous!”_ Abbie Carmichael’s distinctive voice filled the car. _“Over half a million hits, sweet cheeks!”_

Alex rolled her eyes. “Don’t remind me,” she chastised as she checked over her shoulder to make sure the left lane was clear before she zipped around a mini-van that wasn’t going fast enough for her liking.

_“How’s Maverick treating you? Is she still doing a good job buzzing the tower?”_

“Dear God Carmichael,” Olivia laughed. “Can you just give up on the Top Gun allusions already?”

 _“Oooh,”_ Abbie muttered playfully. _“Avoiding the issue. Is there trouble in paradise? Do I need to put on my therapist thong and help you two lovebirds out?”_

Alex laughed. “Therapist thong? Do I want to know?”

 _“Well, it certainly helps out at my house when I put it on,”_ Abbie drawled. _“Oh wait, no, Serena wears the thong and I wear the fake …”_

“TMI Carmichael!” Olivia interrupted.

“Was there a reason you were calling Abbie?” Alex asked. “Don’t you have work to be doing or something?”

 _“Or something,”_ Abbie answered smoothly. _“I called and spoke with Viper…”_

“Viper?” Olivia whispered to Alex.

_“… and she told me about your little field trip to the City of Brotherly Love …”_

“Liz,” Alex answered quietly and Olivia nodded as if that one made all the sense in the world.

 _“… as if that isn’t the gayest nickname in all of gaydom,”_ Abbie continued. _“Anywho, if y’all are drivin’ down my way anyways, whattaya say you come down to DC for the weekend and we can go out Saturday night?”_

Alex looked over at Olivia who shrugged and nodded. “Sure,” she replied. “Can you find us a hotel by your place?”

 _“Why is it that you never stay in my guest room Cabot?”_ Abbie whined.

“I did, once,” Alex chuckled softly as she corrected her friend. “The floor show that night when I got up to pee was a little unforgettable. It’s safer to stay at a hotel.”

 _“Goddamn,”_ Abbie swore, but Alex and Olivia could clearly hear the smile in the other woman’s voice. _“You knew those triplets were coming back with me – it was your own damn fault for leaving your room!”_

“Triplets?” Olivia asked.

“Why couldn’t you have taken them to your bedroom like a normal person?” Alex argued with Abbie as she mouthed, _Yes, triplets_ , to Olivia.

 _“Because my bed wasn’t big enough for all of us!”_ Abbie argued feigning indignation.

“Triplets?” Olivia repeated.

 _“Yes Benson, triplets,”_ Abbie groaned. _“It was one time Cabot – one time – and it never happened again!”_

“Oh, couldn’t perform for so many women at one time?” Olivia teased.

 _“Oh honey, I was a-fucking-mazing that night. But it was just too much damned work,”_ Abbie laughed. _“But the memory of three identical redheads passed out with sated smiles on their lips made that one time **SO** worth it.”_

“Please tell me this was before Serena,” Olivia stared at Alex.

 _“Yes, it was before Serena,”_ Abbie growled. _“I had just started at the DA’s office. I was young, dumb, and full of…”_

“Okay Carmichael,” Olivia interrupted the brash Texan yet again. “We get it. Find us a hotel.”

 _“I promise to behave!”_ Abbie whined.

“But I don’t,” Olivia winked at Alex. “Find us a hotel close by your place and we’ll cab it from there.”

 _“Yes mistress,”_ Abbie answered.

“You are bad Carmichael,” Olivia laughed.

 _“Please,”_ Abbie drawled. _“I’m not the one with a latex corset hanging in my closet. Although Serena did want me to see if I could possibly borrow it?”_

“Go buy your own Abigail,” Olivia blushed.

 _“Yeah, thought you’d say that,”_ Abbie sighed dramatically.

“Hotel?” Alex asked as she openly appraised the brunette who was shifting uncomfortably in the passenger’s seat.

_“I will make you a reservation and have them email the confirmation details to your work address so y’all can get it off your Berry, your highness.”_

“Thank you,” Alex replied. “I’ll call you when we’re leaving Philly. We were planning on staying there Friday night anyways, so we’ll head down your way Saturday morning.”

 _“I shall await your call with baited breath,”_ Abbie answered in her best phone-sex operator voice.

“Good-bye Abigail,” Alex laughed as she pushed the button on the steering wheel to disconnect the call. “Latex corset?” she turned her attention to her blushing lover.

“It was for an undercover op!” Olivia protested. “I swear!”

Alex appraised Olivia for a moment before she confessed with a slightly embarrassed smile as she turned her attention back to the highway. “I don’t know whether to be relieved about that or mildly disappointed. You can try and sleep again, if you’d like. We still have about forty five minutes to go – more, if there’s any traffic. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alex slowly maneuvered the car through the sweeping circular drive stopping in front of the gleaming gilded doors and expectantly popping the trunk for the as of yet unseen bellhop to retrieve their bags. She killed the engine and leaned across the console to tenderly kiss Olivia awake.

“Mmhmm,” Olivia mumbled as she slowly came awake.

“Wake up sleepyhead, we’re here,” Alex whispered and lovingly kissed Olivia’s lips when the brunette turned towards her.

“M’kay,” Olivia groaned and stretched in her seat, her back arching forward and jutting her breasts out invitingly.

“Dear lord,” Alex licked her lips and fought the suddenly overwhelming urge to lean in further and capture a hidden nipple between her teeth.

“Hmm?” Olivia hummed, still not entirely awake.

“Let’s go get checked in. I’m thinking we can just order some room service and enjoy spending the evening together?”

Olivia opened her eyes and smiled. “Sounds heavenly Alex,” she replied before she looked around at their surroundings. “Where are we?”

“The Four Seasons,” Alex answered as she climbed out of the car.

“You can’t tell me that this place is on the DA’s expense budget,” Olivia frowned as she too exited the car and took in the opulent hotel.

“It’s not,” Alex shrugged. “It’s on mine.”

“Alex,” Olivia groaned.

Correctly interpreting her lover’s mood, Alex quickly tried to explain herself. “Liv, I’ve seen you what – two nights this week? And you’re not even back to full duty getting called out in the middle of the night. What’s it going to be like when you are? Am I ever going to see you between your job and mine? I wanted to do something nice. For you. For us. You know this isn’t a big deal for me, just … let me treat us to something special.”

“I’m sorry,” Olivia sighed. “It’s just, I was kind of expecting a Holiday Inn – not the Four Seasons.”

“Ma’am?” the patient bellhop queried.

Alex turned to the man and nodded that she did, in fact, know that he was waiting on them. “Yes, one moment please,” she held up a finger. She waited for him to back off to stand just inside the front doors to await further instructions before she rounded the car and wrapped her arms around Olivia’s waist. “Are you mad?” she asked hesitantly.

“No,” Olivia assured her. “I’m not mad sweetheart. I appreciate the fact that you thought to do this for us.”

“You’re sure?” Alex double checked. “Because there is a Holiday Inn down the street if you’d rather stay there,” she offered, not mentioning that they were already past the cancellation time for the Four Seasons and that her card would be charged for the night regardless.

“I’m sure,” Olivia kissed Alex tenderly.

“Okay then,” Alex beamed. She turned her attention to the bellhop and nodded as she offered the car keys to the valet. “Thank you,” she smiled up at Olivia as she took the brunette’s hand in hers and led the way inside the hotel.

“I think I should be the one thanking you,” Olivia chuckled as she looked around the opulent lobby, noting the fountain out the rear window and the antique Queen Ann chairs upholstered in a rich butter colored fabric dotting the sitting area in front of the fire. “I mean, wow.”

Alex paused mid-step to look around the lobby that she’d traversed more times than she could count. “It is pretty nice, isn’t it?” she observed as she actually paid attention to the marble floors, custom woodwork, opulent hand woven oriental rugs and antique furniture.

“Ya think?” Olivia mumbled under her breath. “I’m just going to have a look around while you check us in?” she smiled.

Alex nodded. “Okay. I’ll be back in a jiff.”

Olivia wandered around the lobby, peeking out windows overlooking rapidly darkening courtyards and pausing to critique the surprising amount of original artwork dotting the walls. She was lost in a landscape had a distinctively surrealist undertone to it when Alex reappeared at her elbow.

“Ready?” Alex asked softly.

“Mmm,” Olivia smiled and took hold of the blonde’s hand, easily twining their fingers together. “Ready.”

Olivia wandered around the suite while Alex graciously thanked and tipped the bellman who had brought their bags upstairs for them. She was in complete awe of her surroundings, from the plush carpet beneath her shoes to the beautiful fabrics framing the French doors that led to the suite’s small balcony.

Alex saw the young man out and closed the door behind him, making sure to flip the latch and the deadbolt before focusing her attention on Olivia who had meandered over to the granite fireplace in the corner of the living area and was running an appreciative finger over the elegant mantle. “Is it too much?” she asked hesitantly from her position by the door, not really but still kind of afraid of what Olivia would think of it all.

“It’s amazing,” Olivia turned and smiled. “It’s nearly as beautiful as you are.”

Alex tipped her head and blushed. “I’m pleased you like it,” she murmured. “Would you like to see the rest of the suite?”

“If you’d like to show me,” Olivia replied. “I could be coerced into taking the nickel tour. Please tell me this room comes with at least a queen sized bed?”

“Mmm, even better – a California King,” Alex purred. “But the real treat is the two person Jacuzzi tub in the en suite bathroom.”

Olivia arched a brow and smirked as she quickly crossed the room and gathered her lover in her arms. “Now that does sound amazing,” she murmured against the shell of Alex’s ear before she began laying a seductive line of kisses down the blonde’s throat. “Show me.”

Alex moaned softly and tilted her head to the side in a silent offering of skin as she took hold of Olivia’s hips and began carefully steering the brunette backwards through the bedroom toward the spacious bathroom, only veering off course once when Olivia nipped gently at her pulse point.

Of course, that one time was smack into a wall.

“Damn,” Olivia grunted as her hip slammed into the doorframe.

“Sorry,” Alex murmured and quickly took advantage of not having to pay attention to where they were walking by deftly untucking Olivia’s shirt and sliding her hands over the brunette’s abs before finally reaching her intended destination hidden behind thin satin.

“Aaaaalex,” Olivia moaned as she felt the blonde’s thumbs begin rubbing over her already hard nipples.

“Hmm?” Alex mumbled and captured Olivia’s lips in slow sensuous kiss as she dipped her hands around the brunette’s sides to unsnap and lift up the offending bra before again cupping and fondling the detective’s gorgeous breasts, skin to skin.

Words and arguments were lost for a time as the kiss fluctuated from hot and wanting to slow and reverent and back again; the need, the love, the desire they were each feeling growing hotter and hotter with each brush of lips, with each gentle nip, every stroke and suck against tongues sent slow rolling waves of desire through them both to settle at their very cores. Their hands began to undress the other between languid kisses, all intentions of getting the other naked lost as their kisses again turned deep and hungry and of so fucking demanding causing their hips to crash together with pure animalistic need.

Somehow, even through the all encompassing haze of desire that surrounded them, they managed to stumble their way away from the wall and across the spacious bedroom to tumble in a tangle of arms and legs onto the oversized bed.

“Mmm,” Alex moaned appreciatively as Olivia rolled them over and easily straddled her waist, effectively pinning her to the bed.

“I think,” Olivia murmured as she sat back on her heels and ran her fingertips down Alex’s torso, openly appraising the flushed blonde beneath her, “that you have on too many clothes.”

“Do you now?” Alex smiled coquettishly.

Olivia slipped her hands inside the center seam of Alex’s button-down shirt and nodded. “I do,” she husked as her grip tightened and her arms flexed.

Alex could only stare as the buttons from her shirt went flying. “I liked this shirt,” she frowned.

Olivia, though, ignored her – quickly removing the blonde’s ruined shirt and bra, carelessly tossing them aside without a second glance. “Much better,” she smiled and leaned forward to capture one of Alex’s nipples between her lips.

“Oooooo,” Alex moaned softly at the wonderful feeling of Olivia’s lips, teeth and tongue teasing her. Wanting more, needing more, she lifted her head up enough to see what she was doing as she began to try and work Olivia’s shirt off.

“Nuh-uh-uh,” Olivia nipped at the nipple captured between her teeth.

“Fuck,” Alex gasped in surprise before moaning plaintively, “Liiiiiv.”

Olivia released the nipple she’d been teasing to a rigid point and looked up at Alex, her eyes dark and hungry, her smile wolfish and predatory. “I believe it was agreed upon earlier that I have some … making up to do, Counselor,” she murmured as she moved her mouth to Alex’s other breast, teasing the previously ignored tip to attention as she trailed a single fingertip down the blonde’s side. That teasing, taunting finger deftly uncovered the zipper hidden in the side of Alex’s skirt, and it was with a long deep suck against the nipple between her lips that she began to slowly, so slowly, so incredibly, maddeningly, slowly work the zipper down on the blonde’s skirt.

One. Tooth. At. A. Time. To Alex, it felt like it took forever and she whimpered softly in protest.

“Patience, love,” Olivia murmured as the zipper finally, finally, opened completely.

Alex could only watch as Olivia carefully grasped the sides of her skirt and slid backwards off the side of the bed as she began to slide it down her body. Alex eagerly lifted her hips to allow the garment room to be removed and a wave of pure lust and desire settled between her legs at the low, long, deep, appreciative moan that escaped her lover’s lips when her garter belt and thigh high stockings were exposed.

“God, Alex,” Olivia whispered reverently as she dropped the skirt she’d removed onto the floor and took a moment to savor, to appreciate, the beauty that was spread out before her.

Alex’s breath caught in her throat at the look of pure, unadulterated desire that crossed Olivia’s face as the brunette openly and unabashedly stared. “Liv,” she murmured, and when Olivia looked up into her eyes her sex clenched needfully at the raw hunger she saw there. “Let me see you,” she pleaded softly.

Alex watched as Olivia’s eyes snapped shut, fascinated with the way the brunette’s shoulders dropped and relaxed as her head fell back in silent supplication.

Brown eyes focused on blue as Olivia rasped, “Need you,” as she quickly reached down to take hold of Alex’s white lace panties and quickly guide them down long, long, legs.

“Liv,” Alex moaned softly as she watched the flimsy material drop from strong tanned fingers. “Please?”

Olivia nodded jerkily and quickly shucked her shirt and bra, entreating, “Move up to the pillows?”, as she began working open her belt and sliding her trousers down past her hips, and allowing gravity to help them finish their trek to the floor where they were unceremoniously kicked off and sent flying into the far corner of the room.

Never taking her eyes off her lover, Alex did as requested and moved so that her head was resting on the pillows at the head of the bed and her legs, those long glorious legs, were stretched out toward the foot. She sighed happily when Olivia, now wearing nothing but a smile, climbed back onto the bed and settled herself between her stocking clad legs.

“God Alex,” Olivia groaned as Alex’s hips began slowly undulating beneath her.

Alex’s only response was to twine her fingers into Olivia’s shorn locks and pull her in closer for a deep, hungry, searing kiss, her tongue immediately seeking out and receiving entrance to the brunette’s mouth which she proceeded to plunder with damn near reckless abandon.

When the need for air overtook her Olivia pulled back with a gasp and used her jaw to forcefully turn Alex’s head to the side revealing a graceful column of unblemished alabaster skin for her devour with long heavy licks, hard deep sucks and sharp playful nips. She paid special attention to the base of Alex’s neck, sucking greedily against the racing, throbbing pulse she found there – not caring in the least that she left a mark, in fact quite enjoying the idea that she was marking Alex as hers, claiming this fair skinned angel as hers. She rocked her hips into her lover as she kissed her way across a proud clavicle before dragging her breasts and her tongue down Alex’s torso as she unerringly made her way down, down, down; pausing to dip her tongue into a quivering navel before sliding over a neatly trimmed patch of golden curls and settling herself between Alex’s legs.

“So incredibly beautiful,” she murmured as she rubbed her cheek against a stocking clad thigh. She leaned in and blew softly onto Alex’s sex and was rewarded with a strangled cry and a half frantic plea.

“God Liv!” Alex practically sobbed as Olivia moved slowly, purposefully, deliberately between her thighs. “Please,” she moaned, her hips rocking up toward her lover, seeking, beseeching, pleading for contact. Contact that was refused as Olivia moved to instead massage the blonde’s other inner thigh with her cheek. Alex growled her displeasure and desire and reached down to attempt to forcefully guide her lovers mouth to where she was literally aching for her touch.

“Patience, love,” Olivia smiled as she swatted the blonde’s seeking hand away. “I have amends to make, and I intend to make them,” she teased as she wrapped her arms under and around Alex’s thighs, gripping and pulling them open in front of her before she again teasingly, tauntingly, puckered her lips to blow gently, ever so fucking lightly onto the copious pool of wetness at Alex’s opening before moving up to settle the maddening stream of air onto the blonde’s pulsing clit.

Alex whimpered as her hips bucked again. “Liv!” she screamed, sobbed, pleaded, the plea turning into a long, loud, throaty moan of relief as Olivia’s tongue slowly traced through her lips to flick softly across her clit. Her right hand twisted itself into Olivia’s hair, not in an attempt to hold the brunette in place or to offer directions but rather as a means of trying to assure herself that she possessed some small measure of control (which she so didn’t), while her left hand reached blindly for something to hang-on to, something to ground herself with, anything, anything to use as an anchor; eventually settling for a handful of the expensive duvet she was writhing upon.

Olivia set to her task with a single-mindedness that, had it not been so incredibly pleasurable, could have been frightening. She teased the pulsing bundle at the apex of Alex’s sex with short quick flicks and long broad licks, stoking Alex’s need higher and higher, so much higher; winding her tighter and tighter until she was close, so incredibly, blissfully close to release before backing off and keeping her there, right there on the edge, on the edge where pleasure and pain and need and want and **_GODDAMN IT JUST MAKE ME COME ALREADY_** meet.

“Jesus!” Alex gasped as she felt Olivia’s tongue plunge deep into her. God, so deliciously, delightfully deep, before she pulled out to lap greedily at the pool of arousal that that action brought forth. “Liiiiiiv,” Alex moaned as the brunette seemed content to stay there, teasing, promising more but refusing to push inside again.

Olivia smiled and moved her attention to that sensitive bundle once more, wrapping her lips around the nub and sucking against it, delighting in the half pleasured half anguished cry that escaped Alex at the more forceful touch. She sucked again gently and reveled in the way Alex’s entire body responded to her. She could tell that the blonde was primed and ready to let go. She was moaning, writhing, bucking, begging, seeking, searching, begging, begging, fucking begging for release.

Finally, finally taking pity on her love Olivia positioned three fingers at the blonde’s opening and pushed into hot velvet with one slow, sure stroke as she sucked on and flicked her tongue against the nerves still held captive between her lips.

“Fuck yesssssssssssssss!” Alex screamed as the release she’d been seeking finally hit her. Her entire body seized and it was only Olivia’s strong arm over her hips that kept her on the bed as her body arched off the mattress with the force of her orgasm.

Olivia slowed her touch to draw out Alex’s release, working to ensure the waves of pleasure that were rippling through the blonde’s long toned frame continued for as long as possible, wanting to extend this moment of ecstasy for Alex for as long as humanly possible. When the last racking tremor subsided leaving Alex boneless and weak she carefully withdrew her fingers, wincing sympathetically at the ragged moan the maneuver brought, as she kissed her way back up over trembling abs, and through the valley of Alex’s heaving chest before claiming the blonde’s mouth with her own.

Alex moaned loudly at the taste of herself on her lover’s lips. “Liv,” she rasped once the kiss broke.

“Hmm?” Olivia smiled as she nuzzled Alex’s cheek.

Alex was quiet for a moment, seemingly searching for the right words before settling for, “Fuck. Just. Fuck.”

“Mmm,” Olivia chuckled. “So am I forgiven?”

“Uuuuuhhhhh-huhhhhhh,” Alex nodded clumsily. “Love you Liv,” she smiled goofily.

“Love you too Alex,” Olivia murmured against the blonde’s cheek.

“Micnmvurgnagtit,” Alex mumbled incoherently.

“What was that sweetie?” Olivia laughed.

“Hmm,” Alex licked her lips. “When I can move you’re gonna get it,” she repeated herself.

“Oh really?” Olivia arched a brow challengingly.

“Yup,” Alex licked her lips again and nodded.

“I can’t wait,” Olivia teased.

“Good,” Alex’s goofy grin turned feral in a heartbeat as she flipped the surprised brunette onto her back.

“Whoa,” Olivia breathed appreciatively.

“Oh, just you wait Liv,” Alex purred. “We haven’t gotten to ‘whoa’ yet.”


	4. Chapter 4

Alex and Olivia awoke the next morning to the oh-so-melodic tones of the phone beside the bed ringing with their wake up call. Which was, in itself, quite impressive because to have gotten to the hotel’s wake-up call meant that they’d managed to either turn off or ignore two cell phones and the travel alarm that Alex had set up on the nightstand.

“Fuck is it?” Olivia grumbled as she reflexively shied away from the ear-splitting sound.

Alex, not much more coherent than her lover, searched blindly for her glasses. A victorious “aha” accompanied their placement upon her face and a loud “shit!” echoed through the room as she spotted the time. Knowing that the annoying ringing would continue until somebody answered the damned phone, she climbed on top of Olivia – who had hidden her head under a pillow – to answer the phone.

“Hello?”

“Ms. Cabot, good morning,” an annoyingly perky voice answered. “This is Lindy at the front desk with your requested wake-up call.”

“Mmm, thank you,” Alex mumbled as she slammed the phone back down in its cradle.

“Whosit?” came Olivia’s muffled query.

“Front desk,” Alex sighed as she maneuvered herself so she was laying completely on top of Olivia. “Wake up call,” she extrapolated as she assumed, quite correctly, that the brunette wasn’t functioning at full speed yet.

“Don’ wanna wake up,” Olivia mumbled. “Comfy,” she explained as she wiggled her ass up into Alex’s crotch.

“Mmm,” Alex moaned as she pushed up enough to run her tongue across the width of Olivia’s shoulders. “Then I guess I’ll just have to get in that big shower all by myself,” she sighed dramatically before delivering a playful nip to the brunette’s scapula.

Olivia’s response of, “Have fun,” was, to say the least, not what Alex was expecting or desiring; so, in hopes of changing her lover’s mind, she began placing slow sensual kisses down the detective’s back until her mouth hovered above a perfect globe of flesh.

“Please?” she murmured against the cheek, adding a light circular lick for emphasis.

“Nuh-uh,” Olivia wiggled under her.

“Then you leave me no choice,” Alex replied as she bit down on what she considered to be the most luscious ass on the planet.

“Hiyeeeeee!” Olivia yelped, her body bucking hard enough to lift Alex off of her for a second – which was all the time she needed to flip over and wrap the blonde in a strong embrace. “What was that for?” she demanded.

Alex, who was laughing hysterically, fought to control her breathing enough to choke out, “Motivation,” before succumbing to another round of giggles.

“To do what?”

“Let me eat you?” Alex purred, a playful smile tweaking her lips as she slipped a hand between their bodies to run an exploratory finger through Olivia’s slit . She tilted her head to the side, her smile growing – if possible – even larger as she heard Olivia’s breath catch and felt her heartbeat pounding double time under her breast.

“We gotta get in the shower,” Olivia finally husked as she released the blonde and moved to climb out of bed.

“That’s what I was sayin’!” Alex laughed loudly. “Uh oh,” she muttered as Olivia stood up beside the bed.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Alex replied quickly, a little _too_ quickly. “Nothing at all.”

“Damn Alex,” Olivia grumbled as she walked across the room towards the bath, her left hand dropping to massage her wounded glutei. “My ass really hurts where you bit me.”

“I bet it does,” Alex murmured to herself, wincing slightly at the bruise that was already growing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alex stood in front of the floor length mirror, already rushed and mildly frantic about being late for court due to their incredibly erotic extended shower, and frowned as she tugged at the collar of her shirt. “Dammit Liv, couldn’t you have marked me in a less conspicuous place?”

Olivia poked her head out of the bathroom and grinned. “Po’ly,” she mumbled around a mouth full of toothpaste. “Ho on,” she waved her toothbrush at the completely flustered blonde as she ducked back into the bathroom from which the clear sounds of spitting and running water spewed forth before the brunette reappeared wiping her mouth on a towel. “Sorry,” she apologized.

“Liv,” Alex whined as she turned an waved at her throat. “Really? I look like I got into a fight with a Hoover and lost.”

“Nah,” Olivia shook her head as she leaned in close to examine her handiwork. _Damn, I really got her good_. “Definitely not a Hoover. The one down by your collarbone is more of a Hoover mark, that one,” she gently touched the darker bruise just under Alex’s jaw that the blonde seemed most upset about, “is too dark. That’s more of a Dyson,” she offered with what she hoped was an adorable enough smile to get her out of trouble. “Better suction.”

Alex scowled and turned back to the mirror as she began to once again attempt to readjust her collar to hide the mark. “I will get you back for this,” she mumbled petulantly.

“Alex,” Olivia laughed. “Did you not notice the scratches down my back when we were in the shower earlier? Or the rather impressive bruise growing on my ass that just so happens to be a perfect match to a certain ADA’s dental pattern?”

“But nobody else can see those!” Alex argued. “This,” she waved at her throat once more, “this is insane!”

Olivia had to fight to keep from laughing because, really, Alex was right. It was a damned impressive hickey. Abbie was definitely going to have a field day with this one. “Do you want to try and swing by a store on the way to court to buy a turtleneck? You could change in a bathroom at the courthouse,” she offered by way of a peace offering.

Alex checked her watch. “Don’t have time. And,” she glanced at her reflection, “a turtleneck would so not go with this suit.”

“Well, you know what the guys always say …,” Olivia sighed.

“Game face?” Alex groaned, knowing that she didn’t have any other options.

“Game face,” Olivia nodded encouragingly. “And, I mean, hey! At least you don’t work with these people every day. You’re just some New York City hotshot coming down to steal their prisoner away.”

“Not helping Liv,” Alex pursed her lips as she, yet again, tried – and failed – to adjust her shirt to cover the mark.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alex rolled her eyes as she caught the smirk the security guard at the door flashed their way as she and Olivia shuffled through the metal detector and she quickly retrieved her satchel from the x-ray machine and set a furious pace to Courtroom B – which the smirking guard had informed her was at the end of the hall on the left. She wanted to think that his interest in them was due to the protective hand Olivia had placed in the small of her back, but her better judgment theorized that it was most likely due to the gigantic hickey on her neck.

“Everybody’s staring at this ginormous mark on my neck,” she grumbled under her breath at Olivia who was keeping pace right behind her.

“No they’re not,” Olivia assured her.

“Hey! Aren’t you the woman from that YouTube video?” the guard positioned outside the courtroom asked loudly, too damned loudly judging by the number of heads that whipped around to focus on them.

Olivia smiled politely as she leaned in to whisper into Alex’s ear, “Told you it wasn’t the hickey they were staring at.”

Alex turned to stare at Olivia. “Really? You think nobody noticed…”

“Wow!” the guard cried out. “That hickey is HUGE!”

“Told you,” Alex muttered.

“Oh, hey! You **_are_** the women from that video,” he continued loudly as he pointed a beefy finger at Olivia. “You’re the one who started the song!”

“Yes,” Olivia rolled her eyes. “Detective Olivia Benson,” she flashed her shield. “I’m here to escort ADA Cabot to the extradition hearing that is to be held inside this courtroom, do you think you could let us by?”

The guard’s eyes flicked back and forth from Olivia’s shield to her face and then back again before he asked, almost breathlessly, as he dug a notebook from his pocket, “Can I have your autograph?”

“Fine,” Olivia snapped as she grabbed the pad from his pudgy hand and took the pen that Alex offered. She quickly scribbled her name and handed the notebook back to him. “There, now can we go?”

“Can I get her autograph too?” he asked, indicating Alex with an almost reverent nod of his head.

“Charlie?” Olivia turned to smile at Alex. “Would you care to sign Officer,” she turned to read his nametag, “Peabody’s makeshift autograph book?”

“Of course,” Alex smiled regally as she took the book and signed with a flourish, _To Officer Peabody, Lots of hugs and hickeys, Charlie_.

“Oh thank you,” Peabody beamed as Alex handed him his book back. “Good luck with your hearing!”

“Uh huh, yeah,” Olivia grumbled as she ushered Alex into the courtroom before her.

“He was certainly friendly,” Alex leaned back and whispered to Olivia as the brunette guided her down the narrow corridor bisecting the courtroom. Just as they reached the dividing banister the bailiff bellowed court into session.

“Good luck,” Olivia smiled as she took a seat in the first row behind Alex.

Alex smirked her usual _Like I really need luck_ smirk before she turned to set her satchel onto the table and stand at attention as the presiding judge entered and took her seat at the bench.

Olivia let her attention wander as the judge walked the counselors through the expected protocol for the hearing that morning, focusing instead on the quiet chatter from the other people sitting in the gallery.

_“No, dude, I’m telling you! The smokin’ hot blonde that just walked in is the girl from the video!”_

_“Isn’t that the woman who was serenaded in the bar in that YouTube video?”_

_“Wow, did you see the size of the hickey on her neck? She looks like she got up close and personal with Mister Dyson.”_

_“The handsome Detective over there sure looks like that Butchy McFabulous cop who serenaded the blonde – do you think the blonde she walked in with is the one from the video?”_

“Oh dear lord,” Olivia muttered under her breath.

“Excuse me,” a quiet voice to Olivia’s left whispered.

“Yes?” Olivia turned to face a woman who was looking rather excited about something.

“I just had to tell you that I absolutely love you in your YouTube video,” the woman gushed. “And I would be so much better for you than that skinny blonde. Can I have your autograph?”

Judge Preston, from her position high above the court had a clear line of sight to Detective Benson who she saw was being accosted by an energetic woman with a notebook, banged her gavel sharply three times. “Ladies and Gentlemen,” she called out authoritatively. “This is a court of law. I strongly suggest you remember that and conduct yourselves accordingly.”

Alex, who had been feigning interest in the yada-yadas and the whosits-whatsits, turned to find Olivia trying to evade a strange woman’s advances. “Your Honor,” she turned back to address the bench, “May I approach?”

Judge Preston tented her hands in front of her face and nodded so Alex and the State of Pennsylvania’s representative counsel made their way up to the bench. Alex had to fight to ignore the leering smirk on the other attorney’s face and she silently vowed to herself that she would kill Abbie Carmichael.

“Ms. Cabot,” Judge Preston nodded at Alex. “Wow, that is quite a hickey.”

“Ummm, thank you?” Alex frowned before trying to steer the conversation back onto topic. “Your Honor, It would appear that the Detective who’s escorted me to court today is drawing an undue amount of attention from the other persons in the gallery and I was wondering if, perhaps, a slight breach of protocol might be warranted in this instance by allowing Detective Benson to sit second chair?”

“Is she a member of the bar?”

“No, Your Honor,” Alex replied. “But by the gaggle of women queuing up behind that rather forward redhead I am thinking it would be more expedient to the proceedings we are here to discuss today if we could separate Detective Benson from her admiring throng.”

“Why does she have such a following?” Judge Preston inquired looking genuinely interested.

 _Game Face Cabot._ “A … friend of ours posted a video of Detective Benson and the rest of her squad serenading me in a bar on YouTube. Apparently the video is quite popular.”

“So you **_are_** the blonde from that video!” the state of Pennsylvania’s counsel shouted, his words echoing through the courtroom and igniting a firestorm of ‘ _see I told you_ ‘s and started another rush of women, and men, toward Olivia asking for autographs.

“This is a fucking circus,” Alex muttered under her breath.

“Language, Ms. Cabot,” Judge Preston chastised.

“Sorry, Your Honor.”

“Although I do agree with you,” Judge Preston nodded. “I shall allow Detective Benson to sit at your table, don’t make me regret it.”

“We won’t, Your Honor,” Alex nodded. “Thank you.”

“Oh, and Ms. Cabot?”

“Yes, Your Honor?”

Judge Preston winked. “Next time pack a turtleneck.”

Alex nodded quickly, an embarrassed blush tinting her cheeks, before turning to face the gallery. She motioned Olivia closer and muttered, “You can come sit by me.”

A look of pure relief crossed Olivia’s face and she eagerly stood and walked through the swinging doors to take the empty chair beside Alex’s. “Jealous?” she leaned in and murmured.

“I can send you back to the wolves,” Alex threatened with a smile.

“Dear god no,” Olivia groaned.

“Alright,” Judge Preston’s voice rang out. “Now, in order to keep these proceedings moving, in what I hope will be an appropriate manner, I have allowed Detective Benson to sit by Ms. Cabot who is here representing the state of New York. In return for this favor…”

“What?!” Alex’s eyebrows shot up.

“…in return for this favor they will both stay after this matter is settled and court is adjourned to sign autographs. Now, Mister Randall,” she nodded at the dark haired schmuck who was still leering at Alex, “what say you in the matter of the State of New York’s petition for the extradition of Mister Stevens?”

Randall made a strong case, but in the end Alex’s argument that Stevens was charged with four Class B felonies –including an illegal firearm possession charge – in New York which, in the matter of public safety, should trump the single Class D felony he was arraigned on in Philadelphia was enough to win her the extradition motion. Olivia stood and followed Stevens and the court security through the doors leading to the corridor behind the courtroom and supervised the transfer of the prisoner from custody of the State of Pennsylvania to the US Marshalls who were to make sure that he made it up to Rikers by the end of the day.

“You guys are going to run him straight up there?” she inquired as she flipped through the paperwork on the clipboard containing Stevens’ transfer authorization.

“Yup,” the younger Marshall nodded. “He’ll be making new friends by dinner.”

“Lovely,” Olivia nodded as she signed off on the paperwork and handed it over to the older looking Marshall.

“That’s quite a hickey your ADA has on her neck,” the man smiled as he tore the sheets he needed off the clipboard and slipped them into a file he was holding.

“It is, isn’t it?” Olivia answered noncommittally with a smile. “Thanks boys.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alex followed Olivia, who was following the maître d’, through the crowded restaurant to a secluded table in the back, doing her damndest to ignore the excited whispers and pointing fingers that their presence seemed to beget. She smiled her thanks to the tuxedoed woman, who thankfully treated her with the appropriate level of pompous disregard that the menu prices in this particular establishment warranted, and daintily lowered herself into her chair as she took the proffered wine list from the woman and set it down on the table.

“Oh my god,” she groaned when the maître d’ had left them alone with the promise of _‘your server will be right with you’_. “Seriously? Almost an hour signing autographs?!”

“My hand hurts,” Olivia grumbled as she flexed her fingers. “Can I shoot Abbie?”

“No,” Alex shook her head as she picked up the wine list. “That would be too fast of a death for her. We need to come up with something that is more … tortuous.”

Olivia was about to respond when a twenty-something blue blood in a black Armani suit and a predictable red power tie came up to their table. “I’m sorry, but my friends and I were wondering if you are the women from the YouTube video? With the Top Gun song?”

Alex turned to look at the young man and nodded. “Indeed we are. Is there something we can help you with? We are trying to enjoy a relaxed lunch here.”

“Wow,” the young man gaped. “Nice hickey!”

Alex rolled her eyes and Olivia jumped in, “Look, bud. Do you need something?”

The young man fumbled in his pockets for a moment before presenting a pen and a wrinkled up receipt. “Can I have your autograph?”

“Oh fuck me,” Alex grumbled as Olivia took the pen and prepared to sign.

“I could do that,” the young man perked up.

“Alright,” Olivia dropped the pen onto the table as she stood and flashed her gun at the young man. “You know what, you need to go back to your table buckaroo.”

“But you have my pen,” he whined.

“It’s an imitation Montblanc,” Alex told him. “Go away before I have the good Detective here arrest you for assaulting an officer of the court.”

“Fine, sorry,” he grumbled as he quickly reached in to snatch his pen off of the white tablecloth before beating a hasty retreat to his table where three identically clad young men were laughing and pointing at him.

Seventy two minutes, fifteen autographs, and a handful comments about the _‘size of that hickey’_ later Alex and Olivia left the restaurant and headed directly to the nearest Saks. Alex practically bought the department store out of their entire stock of turtlenecks and could only offer a tight smile that resembled more of a grimace to the fiftyish woman who rang up their purchases when the older woman commented about turtlenecks being a great way to hide ‘love bites’.

“Don’t you think this is going a little overboard?” Olivia laughed as she hefted the two heavy bags of clothes into the trunk of Alex’s car.

“I bought some for you too,” Alex informed her as she slid behind the wheel. “And we needed clothes for tomorrow night with Abbie too since neither of us packed for that.”

“I stand corrected,” Olivia surrendered.

Alex was about to respond when her phone beeped with an incoming email. She slid the key into the ignition and started the car as she glanced at the screen to see that the email was a hotel confirmation for the following night in Washington. “Have you ever heard of the Scenic Vistas hotel in DC?” she asked with a frown.

“Nope,” Olivia shook her head. “But, it’s not like I’m making a lot of trips down that way.”

“Hmm,” Alex murmured as she tossed her phone back into her bag. “Whatever.” She shrugged as she made to exit the parking structure and head back to their hotel.


	5. Chapter 5

“Do you realize,” Alex asked as she walked into the bedroom half of their suite and kicked her heels off in the general direction of the armoire, “that this has been perhaps the longest day ever and it’s not even dinner time yet?”

Olivia dropped the bags she was carrying onto a chair in the corner of the room. When she turned around to face her exasperated sounding lover she found Alex standing with one hand on her hip and the other tangled in her hair making the usually perfectly coiffed strands looked adorably mussed. Alex’s eyes, which were normally so full of fire and passion were quite noticeably dulled by the exhaustion the blonde was finally allowing to show.

“Would a nice hot bath help make things right in the world again?” she asked, the guilt of being the one to cause Alex’s distress breaking her heart and making her want to find a way, any way, to make it go away.

“That sounds absolutely divine,” Alex smiled softly at Olivia’s suggestion, a shadow of a thought flashing through her mind as her hand dropped from her hair to curl around the back of her neck. “Would you join me?”

Olivia bit her lip and nodded as she crossed the few feet separating them and gathered Alex into her arms, pulling the blonde in close and nuzzling Alex’s cheek. “I can’t think of a better way to spend the afternoon,” she murmured, delighting in the way the blonde’s lithe body curved into her.

Alex let loose a soft sigh and buried her face in the crook of Olivia’s neck as the brunette’s fingers began gently tugging her shirt free from her slacks. She felt her body relax even more when Olivia’s hands slid under her shirt, the detective’s hands cradling her waist as if she were a rare and fragile treasure to be protected. She moaned softly when she felt Olivia’s fingers begin a soft, gentle massage that made her heart warm, her knees weaken and a slow familiar burn ignite low in her belly.

“Liv,” her lover’s name escaped on a breath as she cradled the brunette’s face in her hands and lifted her lips to brush them gently, ever so gently, against Olivia’s. She pulled back slightly, far enough to gaze into darkening chocolate eyes and the love she saw so plainly in their depths took her breath away. “I love you,” she murmured, the declaration no more than a whisper as she leaned in to repeat that soft, barely there caress of a kiss that had Olivia’s hands on her sides flexing, squeezing, pulling her in closer.

Alex’s touch grew more firm against Olivia’s jaw and her nose brushed the brunette’s cheek as she extended her tongue and used it’s very tip to tease the seam of Olivia’s lips, poking, stroking, tasting, softly thrusting in a search for permission to deepen the kiss. Permission which was granted with a low rumbling moan as Olivia’s lips parted for her. Her thumbs caressed Olivia’s cheeks as she tilted her head, her own lips parting and melding perfectly with Olivia’s as she slowly, reverently, indulgently pushed her tongue into her lover’s welcoming mouth to tenderly stroke, massage, and tangle with the brunette’s.

“I love you Alex,” Olivia breathed when the need for air forced them to separate. No other words were needed, no other words were desired as they reveled in the silent power of the moment. Foreheads fell forward, cream against olive, and mahogany eyes stared into the depths of stormy blue. The look, the touch, speaking silent volumes as to their surprisingly powerful and all-encompassing love they had for the other. A lick of lips and a smile were enough of a confession of want, need, and desire to initiate another slow, sensual kiss.

Olivia swallowed the approving moan that escaped Alex when her fingers began to slowly, deliberately, purposefully, unbutton the blonde’s shirt, the backs of her fingers ghosting over warm waiting skin as her hands moved higher and higher, slowly, so slowly higher one pearlescent button at a time. An easy pattern of one slow sensual kiss per button developed which only served to increase the need, feed the want, intensify the desire building between them. When the last button was released and the shirt fell open to reveal proud pale breasts encased in cerulean blue satin Olivia leaned in to lay a soft adoring kiss to the swell of each mound before lifting her lips to murmur against Alex’s, “I’ll be right back.”

Alex could only groan softly in disappointment as she watched Olivia slowly step back, the brunette’s eyes conveying her reluctance to move away, as she walked backwards into the bathroom and out of sight. Alex drew a ragged breath as she deftly unbuttoned the cuffs of her shirt to the sound of water running. She smiled to herself as she imagined Olivia leaning over the tub, carefully tending to the gushing stream, waiting for it to reach the right temperature. She shucked her shirt and tossed it over the shopping bags on the chair before making quick work of her tailored slacks and knee-high stockings which joined the shirt in the corner.

Olivia perched on the edge of the tub and so completely focused on drawing their bath, did not notice when Alex entered the bathroom wearing nothing but a matching satin bra and panty set and a soft adoring smile. She jumped in surprise when Alex’s lips brushed over her neck, shivered in anticipation when throaty smoky words danced over her ear, “I want you.”

“God Alex,” she murmured as she turned to face her lover, her hands automatically lifting to grasp Alex’s hips and pull her in closer. Close enough to nuzzle trembling abs and to press a soft kiss to a protruding hip bone.

“Is the water hot?”

Olivia reached back under the stream and nodded against Alex’s stomach. “Mmmhmm.”

“Good,” long thin fingers massaged Olivia’s scalp. “Then I can help you undress while the tub fills.”

Olivia moaned softly as she placed one last kiss to Alex’s stomach before leaning away from the blonde and over the tub to close off the drain. She used the far ledge to push herself back up to a sitting position, allowing Alex to guide her back to her feet as she obediently lifted her arms to allow her sweater and undershirt to be pulled off over her head.

“Beautiful,” Alex murmured as she ran her fingertips over Olivia’s breasts, the pads of her thumbs brushing ever so gently against the hardened tips poking up into the material of the brunette’s bra.

As Alex set to work opening Olivia’s belt and pulling down her trousers, the brunette reached around Alex’s narrow back to deftly unhook the blonde’s bra. “Gorgeous,” she murmured appreciatively as she guided blue straps down alabaster shoulders, exposing proud firm mounds to her ever adoring gaze.

Alex hooked her thumbs under the waistband of Olivia’s underwear and trousers and pushed the garments down over trim hips and firm thighs, down past toned calves as she pulled at the back of the brunette’s right knee indicating her wish for that foot to lift so she could remove the clothes completely. Once they were removed, she tossed them into the corner of the room and leaned in to nuzzle soft dark curls before kissing her way up Olivia’s stomach, making sure to rub her own body against her lover’s as she ascended.

Olivia bit her lip in an attempt to hold in the moan that threatened to escape at the sensations Alex’s nipples tracking over her body were evoking. She tangled her hands in blonde silk in an attempt to guide her lover higher, in an attempt to pull her up to where she could recapture those kiss swollen lips that were driving her mad with each and every kiss they placed upon her body.

Alex’s moved higher and higher, slowly higher, her ascent stopping when her mouth came into line with Olivia’s magnificent breasts. She raked her teeth over a straining nipple as she reached around Olivia’s back and unhooked the brunette’s bra, her hands sliding up Olivia’s back to lightly grasp the straps and pull them down dark powerful arms as she kissed, licked, and sucked each inch of flesh revealed to her.

Alex sucked and nipped teasingly at Olivia’s left nipple before switching her oral attentions to the right, only stopping her ministrations when Olivia’s pleading moans grew more and more incessant, as the hands in her hair started pulling harder and harder in an attempt to force her mouth upwards. So, it was with one last kiss to the valley between the detective’s breasts that Alex rose to her full height and eagerly claimed Olivia’s desperate lips with her own, gasping in surprise when the brunette’s tongue thrust forcefully into her mouth. She sucked hungrily at the invading muscle eliciting a loud moan from its owner before she released it and began trailing kisses over Olivia’s cheek to her ear, her body moving around the back of the brunette’s as she turned their bodies toward the full length mirror beside the sinks.

“I want you,” Alex murmured as she rubbed herself against Olivia’s back and her hands came up to cup and fondle the brunette’s breasts.

“Alex,” Olivia groaned.

Alex looked up at their reflection in the mirror, noticing that Olivia’s eyes had closed as she succumbed to the pleasure Alex was giving her. “Watch me love you?” she pleaded softly.

“Hmm?” Olivia murmured, not understanding, not comprehending what Alex meant until she opened her eyes to find Alex staring intently at her through the mirror.

Long thin fingers flexed over firm olive mounds. “Watch,” Alex commanded softly as she purposefully pinched and rolled Olivia’s nipples between her thumbs and forefingers.

“Fuck,” Olivia hissed at the pleasure, at the sight of Alex’s hands expertly playing her body.

Alex smiled and, never looking away from Olivia’s eyes in the mirror, began to slowly trail one hand down her lover’s stomach, her path random, her course casual, her route irregular as she moved lower, slowly lower until she was able to lightly run her fingers through the neatly trimmed hairs covering Olivia’s mound.

Olivia moaned loudly, her gaze focused on the pale hand resting so temptingly, teasingly, agonizingly close to where she was literally aching for it. “Alex,” she pleaded softly as she reached down to guide the blonde’s hand lower.

“Mmm,” Alex moaned against Olivia’s neck as she took her hand away from the brunette’s mound to deflect the intruding hand. “No touch,” she warned with a smirk.

Olivia bit her lip and nodded her understanding, sighing happily as she watched Alex’s hand return to her body and move down, past its earlier position to cup her between her legs.

“God you’re so wet,” Alex observed approvingly as she pushed her body into Olivia’s back and tipped her middle finger up to rake her finger through the brunette’s sex before taking that collected arousal and using it to help her slide over and around the straining bundle she found at the front of Olivia’s slit.

Olivia moaned loudly at the feeling of Alex’s body pushing into her, at the feeling of the blonde’s breasts pressing hard into her back, at the pleasure shooting from her nipple that was still being teased with reckless abandon, at the sensation of Alex’s satin-covered hips rubbing, rocking, thrusting against her ass as that finger, that goddamn talented finger rubbed and massaged her while she watched. Stared. She was transfixed by the sight of Alex’s hand between her legs, riveted by the gentle rocking motion of the pale wrist covering her mound and the sensations that motion was evoking. Alex was expertly stroking her higher and higher, impossibly, maddeningly higher but never with enough force, never with enough pressure to do anything but push her right up to the edge of release and hold her there, right there on the precipice of ecstasy.

“Nononononono,” Olivia gasped when she felt and observed the blonde’s hands abandon her straining, needy, desperate body.

“Shhh,” Alex soothed. “I just need to turn off the water,” she explained as she quickly turned and flipped off the taps. “See,” she smiled at Olivia’s reflection as she slid her hands around the brunette’s hips, drawing their bodies closer together once again.

“Alex,” Olivia whined as Alex’s hands remained on her hips and the blonde made no move to return them to their earlier positions, seemingly content to simply gaze upon their reflection.

“Hmm?” Alex smiled as she held Olivia’s eyes and ran her tongue over her lover’s throbbing pulse.

“Alex,” Olivia tried again, this time rocking her hips forward in a silent plea.

Alex nipped at the pulse under her lips and murmured, “M’kay,” as her left hand tightened its grip on Olivia’s hip and her right slid back into position between her lover’s legs.

“God yesssss,” Olivia hissed as she watched and felt Alex’s hand again bury itself between her legs and her fingers again resume their teasing, rocking massage against her.

Knowing by the increased movement of Olivia’s hips that she was getting close, so incredibly close, Alex slid her left hand up from the hip she’d been hanging onto to palm Olivia’s right breast. Her pale arm cut a distinct line across her lover’s tanned body as she squeezed the captured breast at the exact moment she unerringly slid three fingers deep into hot wet velvet.

“God Liv,” Alex groaned at the feeling of her lover’s sex flexing, clenching around her, drawing her in deeper.

“Aaaaalex,” Olivia moaned long and low and she fought to keep her eyes open under the unrelenting onslaught of Alex’s knowing thrusts. Fighting valiantly, and failing, her lids snapping shut under the increasing weight of her oncoming orgasm. “Alex, god Alex, yes,” she grunted as Alex thrust into her slow and deep, god so amazingly deep, the heel of the blonde’s hand rubbing firm knowledgeable circles against her clit at the end of each thrust and skilled fingers curling to rub against the spongy patch inside her that had her seeing stars.

“Mmm. Open your eyes Liv,” Alex purred, smiling radiantly when she saw Olivia acquiesce to her request. “That’s it baby. God, you’re so beautiful Liv. Let go for me baby, let it go,” she encouraged her lover as she continued to stroke her long and slow and oh so fucking deep.

It was those words, those smoky sexy, so goddamn fucking sexy words, the fingers rubbing, thrusting, massaging her inner walls, and those dark blue eyes staring into her very soul that combined to drive Olivia over the brink into release.

“That’s it baby,” Alex encouraged, her left arm flexing to support her spasming lover as her right continued to stroke and massage and coax wave after wave from Olivia’s trembling body. Her movements slowed with the intensity of the brunette’s contractions and once Olivia’s body was still and spent she carefully removed her fingers to, still holding brown eyes captive, lift them to her mouth to decadently lick them clean.

“God,” Olivia grunted as she turned to capture Alex’s lips in a deep hungry kiss, moaning loudly at the taste of herself on her lover’s tongue. “Wow.”

“Mmm,” Alex smiled as she kissed Olivia soundly. “I needed that.”

“You?” Olivia chuckled.

“Yup,” Alex smiled. “And now I’d love that bath you were so sweet to draw for me.”

Olivia shook her head and laughed softly. “As you wish,” she conceded as she kneeled before Alex and hooked her thumbs into the blonde’s panties, drawing them down and off before tossing them in the general direction of the sink. Reverting to her original plan of how she’d like their encounter to occur, she stood and lovingly guided Alex into the still steaming bath – letting the blonde settle into the hot water with a smile and a sigh before she carefully climbed in behind her.

After Olivia had settled in behind her, Alex smiled contentedly to herself as she pushed herself back into her lover. “Mmm, better than I had imagined,” she observed softly as she brushed the backs of her fingernails up the strong thighs surrounding her.

“You imagined this?” Olivia inquired curiously, her plan becoming more fluid and open to the possibility of change as she ran her hands up Alex’s torso to palm her breasts beneath the water.

“Mmhmmm,” Alex confessed quietly. “Whenever I have a bad day at work … if I lose, or I get ripped by Liz or Branch, or I fight with you,” she pinched the inside of Olivia’s thigh, “I like to go home and relax in a nice hot bath with a big glass of wine and try to forget about the day.”

“You said you’d imagined this though,” Olivia noted as she brushed her thumbs over already hardened nipples.

Alex drew a deep breath and leaned back harder into Olivia as she closed her eyes and murmured, “Can we just leave it with the fact that I’d imagined this?”

Olivia slid her hands down Alex’s stomach, her touch heavy as she pushed onto firm abs and down around the inside of toned thighs and her voice soft as she pleaded, “Please?”

Alex groaned. “I would think about sharing my bath with you. How you would feel pressed up against my back, your nipples brushing against me, your legs cradling me to you.”

Smiling to herself, pleased that Alex was playing along, Olivia asked, “Did you fantasize about me touching you?”

 _Constantly._ “Yes,” Alex breathed.

“Where?” _Please tell me and let me fulfill your fantasy._

“Everywhere.”

 _Oh. Dear. God_. “How.”

“I’d imagine your hands cradling my breasts, massaging them, your fingers playing with my nipples.”

Olivia slid her hands back up Alex’s body to do exactly as the blonde had described. “Like this?”

 _Mmm._ “Yes.”

Olivia had to bite the inside of her cheek to hold in the moan that wanted to escape her as she felt Alex’s body arch up into her hands. She leaned in to drop soft adoring kisses to the side of the blonde’s neck. “I like this,” she whispered.

“Me too,” Alex smiled.

Olivia squeezed Alex’s breasts and asked, “Is this all you imagined.”

 _I don’t think I’ll ever have the courage to tell you **everything** I’d imagined you doing to me._ “No.”

“Tell me Alex,” Olivia implored, her thumbs brushing over Alex’s nipples as encouragement. “Where else did I touch you?”

 _Oh. Dear. God._ “Between my legs.”

Olivia was helpless to stop the soft moan that escaped her as she slid her right hand down to cradle Alex’s sex. “Here?”

Alex’s confession escaped on a breath. “God yes.”

Olivia nodded and dipped two fingers into the generous amount of heat and arousal, the movement eliciting a long low moan from Alex, easily gathering the blonde’s essence on her fingertips as she asked, “Where?”

Alex’s eyes rolled back in her head as she answered softly, “My clit.”

Twin moans marked the moment Olivia’s fingertips brushed over that already swollen and straining bundle of nerves.

“Fuck Liv,” Alex ground out as her hips bucked into her lover’s touch.

“Mmm, baby,” Olivia moaned against Alex’s ear as she rubbed, flicked, and stroked that sensitive point. Occasionally dipping back down to the blonde’s opening to gather more arousal before resuming her attentions on Alex’s clit, enjoying the way Alex’s left hand tangled itself in her hair and pulled her mouth in for a deep probing kiss.

“Ooooh,” Alex moaned, her right hand tightening upon Olivia’s thigh in as her hips bucked again wildly.

Delighting in the blonde’s reactions, Olivia suddenly remembered the breast that lay forgotten in her left hand. She pinched the nipple hard as she pushed up into Alex’s clit, pinning it between her fingers and the blonde’s pubic bone.

“Shit!” Alex jumped, her hips reflexively rocking back, away from the pressure, before recovering and grinding down into it. “Liiiiiiiv.”

“Did I touch you anywhere else?” Olivia asked as she lightened her touch and resumed lightly rubbing small circles with the sensitive nub.

Alex nodded.

“Where baby?” Olivia asked, already sure of the blonde’s answer but wanting to hear her say it. Wanting to hear her describe what she’d imagined as she touched herself.

“Inside me,” Alex husked, her hesitance and embarrassment disappearing in the shadow of her growing need.

 _Dear God that voice_ , Olivia thought to herself as she again followed Alex’s directions and positioned two fingers at the blonde’s opening. Pressing gently, teasing the opening before finally, finally, pushing inside with one slow, sure, stroke.

Alex whimpered at the feeling of fullness. “Please Liv,” she gasped, her hips rocking onto her lover’s fingers, seeking movement, seeking friction, that glorious friction that would bring her release.

Olivia bit her lip as her eyes rolled back in her head at the desperation in Alex’s voice. “Tell me how baby.”

Alex practically sobbed with need before she commanded, “Harder … faster … god Liv … so close … just … fuck me!”

Olivia groaned loudly at that, her own sex convulsing spastically at Alex’s words, as she pulled her fingers out and slammed them back in as hard and as deep as she could.

“Yesssssssssssss!”

Olivia moaned, her own hips rocking forward so that she was pressing into Alex’s back, as she began a fierce rhythm in and out with hard, deep strokes, curling her fingers and dragging them over that spot inside Alex that never failed to elicit gasps, moans and mewls.

“God Liv,” Alex cried out, the heat spreading throughout her body, radiating out from her center with each and every thrust, every gloriously powerful deep thrust inside her. “So … close,” she grunted, her words punctuating two particularly forceful thrusts.

Determined to bring Alex to climax sooner rather than later Olivia pushed harder, faster, deeper, her forearm beginning to burn with exertion, Alex’s cries, gasps, and moans spurring her on until with a great shuddering breath Alex’s body locked up – muscles clamping down hard before relaxing and tensing again as wave after wave rolled through her.

“Mmm, that’s it baby,” Olivia murmured as she slowed her fingers, stroking slowly in and out, helping draw Alex’s orgasm out for as long as possible, her own body trembling with a smaller, less powerful, sympathetic orgasm.

When the last tremor left Alex pliant and relaxed against her, Olivia pressed a soft kiss to Alex’s cheek as she gently withdrew her fingers and moved her hand to lovingly cup Alex’s sex.

“God Liv,” Alex moaned, her head tilting to the side as the woman behind her nuzzled her neck.

“Mmm,” Olivia smiled as she laid a soft kiss to the hollow behind Alex’s ear. “Thank you.”

“Hmm, for what?” Alex purred.

“Telling me,” Olivia answered softly. “Sharing that with me.”

“Oh Liv,” Alex turned her head so she could kiss the brunette tenderly. “Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you too Alex,” Olivia smiled and leaned in to capture the blonde’s lips in a passionate kiss before settling back in the tub with a contented sigh.

Alex smiled and shifted back into her lover, taking Olivia’s hands and wrapping them around her waist, content to sit and soak in the warm water and revel in the feeling of being in the arms of the woman she loved.


	6. Chapter 6

“So what time do you think we’ll get into the city?” Alex asked as she fiddled with the radio, eventually giving up on finding a station and flipping over to her iPod that was jacked into the aux port. She sat back in her seat with a smile and casually regarded the brunette behind the wheel.

Olivia frowned thoughtfully at the sparsely populated highway and shrugged. “I dunno, we left the hotel around – what? Noon? It’s about one now, so somewhere around three would be my best guess. Why?”

Alex shrugged. “Just trying to figure out how much time we’ll have to settle in before we’re supposed to be at Abbie’s place. I told her we’d get there around seven, she said our dinner reservations are for eight.”

“Hmm,” Olivia murmured absentmindedly as she slipped a finger under her sweater and rubbed at the reddened skin just above her hip bone.

Noticing this action, Alex asked, “Did you put some of my lotion on that like I’d suggested?”

“Wha?” Olivia looked over at Alex and frowned for a moment, the blonde’s short nod in the direction of her lap enough of a hint as to what she was talking about. “Oh. Yeah. Might need to do it again when we get to the hotel though. I can’t believe it chaffed like that.”

Alex laughed. “Baby, I think that’s because you’re not really supposed to fall asleep with it still on.”

“First of all,” Olivia argued good-naturedly, “I didn’t fall asleep so much as I passed out from sheer exhaustion. And second of all, if I hadn’t – as you allege – fallen asleep with it on then a certain energetic blonde who shall remain nameless,” she reached over and tickled the inside of Alex’s thigh, “wouldn’t have had as much fun waking us up this morning.”

“I would have found some other way to have you ringing the day in with a scream,” Alex smirked. “Give a girl a little credit, huh?”

Realizing that they still had another two hours left on the road and that now was not the time to engage in such playful banter, Olivia simply smiled and took hold of Alex’s hand – squeezing it gently as she answered, “I love you.”

Alex’s eyes soften and she smiled. “Love you too Liv. You know that’s cheating though, right?”

“Yup,” Olivia smirked. “So, what kind of hotel do you think _Scenic Vistas_ is?”

Alex groaned. “I’m a little afraid to find out.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Olivia whistled appreciatively as they crossed the marble and mahogany foyer of the hotel Abbie’d arranged for them. “Impressive.”

“So far so good,” Alex muttered, afraid to commit to the hotel yet until she saw the room. Worst case scenario was they’d be checking out immediately and heading down to the Hilton on Embassy Row.

Alex set her purse down on the counter at the front desk and smiled at the kid behind the counter. “Reservation for Cabot?”

“Cabot,” the young man behind the desk repeated as he began punching at his keyboard. “Ah yes, I have your reservation right here Ms. Cabot,” he smiled as he punched a few more keys. “Room twenty twenty four,” he nodded to himself as he read the room number aloud. “The room was reserved on a card, so I just need you to sign here,” Alex scribbled her name where he had indicated. “Thank you. Just take the elevators located behind you,” he waved gallantly, “up to your floor and your room will be down the left corridor.”

“Thank you so much,” Alex smiled as she took the proffered key card. “We’re supposed to meet a friend at her apartment this evening for dinner, how far is it to Dupont Circle from here?”

“Fifteen minutes by foot, a few minutes by cab. If you’d like a cab called for you when you’re ready to go out for the evening, please just ring us at the front desk here and we’ll order one up for you.”

“Thank you,” Alex nodded as she turned to follow Olivia toward the bank of elevators.

“I’m a little scared,” Alex confessed quietly as they waited for the elevator.

“Mmm,” Olivia leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Alex’s cheek. “Me too. So far this place has seemed fairly normal – what vistas do you think the name refers to?” she asked as the doors pinged open.

“Only one way to find out,” Alex shrugged as she walked into the waiting car. “Onward and upward Jeeves.”

“Oh. My. God,” Olivia breathed as she paused in the doorway to their room, effectively blocking Alex’s view as to what Abbie had done.

“What?” Alex asked as she nudged past Olivia only to stop and stare herself once she saw what had frozen her detective. “Holy shit.”

“This place is seriously a themed hotel?” Olivia muttered. “Seriously?”

“And apparently Abbie felt we would enjoy the jungle room,” Alex observed dryly as she walked further into the room to be able to really take in the jungle-y vistas that were painted on the walls. And the ceiling. And the doors. Armoire, nightstand, draperies too. All of which was enhanced by the green shag carpet on the floor that she assumed was to represent a mossy jungle floor and a couple of stuffed monkeys suspended from vines in the far corner of the room.

“Seriously?” Olivia repeated herself as she kicked the door shut.

“The monkeys are a nice touch,” Alex pointed out with a laugh.

“Oh god. Seriously?” Olivia’s voice carried out of the bathroom.

Alex groaned softly to herself before calling out, “What is it Liv?”

Olivia’s head poked out as she asked hesitantly, “You’re not afraid of snakes are you?”

“I’m not a big fan,” Alex frowned. “Do I want to know?”

“Well,” Olivia frowned as she looked back over her shoulder. “I don’t think it was ever alive…”

“Seriously?”

“I think that’s our new word,” Olivia observed.

Alex looked around the room, a small smile tweaking her lips and an evil glint lighting her eyes as she turned to face an uncertain looking Olivia. “Detective?” she drawled.

Olivia, taken aback by the look on Alex’s face, could only muster a weak, “Hmm?”

“Me Alex,” she pointed at herself. “You Liv,” she crooked a finger and beckoned Olivia to her.

Olivia laughed and crossed the room reaching out once she was close enough to grab Alex’s hips and pull the blonde in to her forcefully. “Hi Alex,” she smirked.

“Hi,” Alex purred, her gaze dropping to Olivia’s full lips as she licked her own. “Kiss me.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“So what did you think of the hotel?” Abbie laughed as she opened the front door to her apartment wide and beckoned her friends inside.

“It was definitely a surprise,” Alex commented dryly as she shrugged out of her coat and hung it up on one of the hooks under a large black framed mirror.

“How much trouble is she in?” Serena asked as she strolled out of the kitchen, her heels clicking with a hollow sounding _tock_ on the wood floors. “Hey girls.”

“Southerlyn,” Alex grinned as she moved out of the way to allow Olivia room to hang up her own coat. “Abs didn’t say you were going to be here this weekend.”

“She called me after she spoke with you guys yesterday and I jumped the train down this morning,” Serena explained. “Couldn’t miss a chance to double with my favorite couple! So, I’ve been dying to know – what do you think about the fact that you’ve been booked for the _Today Show_ on Wednesday morning.”

“What?” Alex and Olivia chimed together.

“It got set up yesterday,” Serena frowned as she stopped beside Abbie. “Didn’t you get the voicemail Liz left you Alex? I was standing in her office when she called you yesterday afternoon.”

“Mmm, yeah,” Alex nodded, a light blush tinting her cheeks. “We were busy yesterday afternoon.”

“Crazy wild monkey sex?” Abbie grinned.

“Nope,” Olivia smiled as she clapped the prosecutor on the back. “That was right before we came over here tonight. Jungle room, you know,” she waggled her brows suggestively.

“How long until we need to leave to make our reservation?” Alex asked in an attempt to change the conversation to a slightly less mortifying topic.

“We got like forty five until we need to head out,” Abbie answered as she glanced at her watch. “Can I interest you ladies in a drink?”

“Sounds good,” Olivia smiled. “Whatcha serving?”

Abbie grinned and winked at Alex. “Tequila.”

Forty minutes, two **_extremely_** strong margaritas, and one shot of tequila each later Abbie announced that they were going to have to start getting ready to head out.

Alex smiled as she stood. “May I use your restroom?”

“Me too,” Olivia echoed.

“Sure thing,” Abbie nodded. “Alex, you know where the master is so why don’t you take that one. Olivia, you can use the guest bath in the hall. I’ll just go rinse out these glasses and set them in the sink,” she offered as she began collecting glasses.

Alex nodded and motioned for Olivia to follow her down the hall. “Here’s the guest bath,” Alex pointed into the room.

Olivia had just shut the door to the hall bath when she heard Alex begin to laugh hysterically. “Alex?” she asked as she opened the door and poked her head out to look into the master bedroom where Alex was standing at the foot of a particularly messy bed and laughing. Intrigued as to what could have possibly elicited such a reaction from the blonde, she abandoned the bathroom to see what was so funny. She came to a stop beside Alex, who by this point had tears running down her cheeks, and was only able to muster a semi-awed “Wow” when she spied what had captured Alex’s attention.

Alex reached out and picked up the decidedly sparkly dildo by its more utilitarian black leather harness as she bellowed over her shoulder, “Abigail Reese Carmichael! You have a _Twilight_ fetish!”

“That harness doesn’t look very comfortable,” Olivia observed.

“Fuck!” Abbie yelled before there was the distinct sound of running feet heading toward them.

Alex chuckled as she turned to face her lover. “Says the woman who fell asleep with one on last night.”

“If I remember correctly Ms. Cabot,” Olivia grinned. “You weren’t complaining.”

“Mmm, definitely not,” Alex agreed throatily.

“Give it back Cabot,” Abbie demanded as she slid to a stop beside the laughing blonde.

Alex spun away from Abbie, making sure to hold the toy an arm’s length away from her friend, as she turned to Olivia and asked, “So which vampire do you think Abbie fancies herself to be? She’s not cute enough to be Alice. And we all know she’s not innocent enough to be Bella.”

Olivia laughed as she flashed through the characters from the movies Alex had made her watch and offered helpfully, “Maybe Rosalie? She’s kind of a bitch.”

“Hey!” Abbie protested.

“Nah,” Serena drawled as she sashayed into the room and snatched the strap-on out of Alex’s grasp. “She’s Victoria. Big and bad and all sorts of trouble,” she extrapolated as she opened a dresser drawer and shoved the toy inside.

“I’m not trouble,” Abbie pouted petulantly as she collapsed onto the foot of the bed.

“Yes, you are,” Alex, Olivia and Serena all replied. Serena continuing, “But it’s okay baby, I’ve always liked the bad girls.”

This got Abbie out of her funk as she smiled devilishly. “I can be bad,” she offered with a smile.

“Mmm,” Serena smirked. “I know.”

“Oh god,” Alex groaned. “Let’s get to dinner before this gets completely out of hand.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“What is this place?” Olivia asked as she climbed out of the cab. The building was clad in a façade of faux aged brick and there weren’t any windows facing the street, only a single heavy-duty looking red wood door. “I thought you said we were going for steak?”

Abbie grinned as she climbed out of the cab. “We are,” she assured Olivia as she leaned in the front window to pay the driver. “C’mon, we need to get in there before they give away our table.”

Alex leaned into Olivia to whisper in her ear, “Why is it that I’m mildly concerned right now?”

“Probably because you’re smart,” Olivia whispered back with a smile. “C’mon, it’s steak – how bad can it be?” she asked as she walked through the door Abbie was holding open.

“Have you been here before?” Alex asked Serena as the two blondes followed Olivia inside.

“Nope, but I’ve heard about this place,” Serena replied. “Abbie was telling me about it the other day. I guess it’s gotten some really good reviews.”

“Doesn’t look too bad,” Alex observed as she pulled to a stop in front of a bright blue leather sofa. “What’s this place called? I didn’t see a sign out front.”

“Sakura,” Abbie answered as she pushed by their little group to speak in hushed tones with the hostess for a few moments before the older Japanese woman nodded and smiled as she waved her hand for them to follow her. “Our table’s ready,” Abbie announced unnecessarily.

“This is strange,” Alex observed as they were led down a narrow corridor and through an even more narrow archway into a large room full of tables and chairs. “Oh my god Abbie,” she laughed with obvious relief. “You had me worried there for a minute – this is great!”

“I knew you’d like it Cabot,” Abbie winked as she pulled a chair out on the edge of the U-shaped table for Serena, carefully tucking it back under the blonde before settling herself into the empty seat beside her.

“God,” Alex grinned as she sat down next to Serena, “I haven’t been to one of these places since that one time…”

“At the crim law convention in Minneapolis three years ago?” Abbie finished for her questioningly.

Alex nodded. “Yeah.”

“You really haven’t been back to one of these places since then?”

“Not really part of my standard social circle, unfortunately,” Alex shrugged deprecatingly.

“We’ll fix that,” Abbie told her.

“What is this place?” Olivia asked as she took in the thick slab of wood they were sitting at and the giant metal, was that a grill?, in the center of it.

“It’s a hibachi steak house Liv,” Serena laughed. “Nothing kinky. Just lots and lots of good food.”

“Yeah,” Abbie pouted playfully. “Unfortunately the _Nyotaimori_ place was booked out solid for like the next six months.”

“Do I want to know?” Olivia whispered in Alex’s ear.

“Naked sushi,” Alex explained softly.

“Why is it that I’m not at all surprised that Abbie knows the location and phone number of a place like that?” Olivia murmured.

“It’s an art form,” Abbie groaned. “God, I’m almost glad they were full – you would have walked out and left me with the two thousand dollar tab.”

The group stopped their discussion as the hostess returned with another four women on her heels. They all smiled politely at each other as the newbies took their seats and conversations became separate and much quieter as they all perused their menus and placed their orders with the hostess.

After the hostess had left with their orders, the group exchanged another round of self conscious smiles and Abbie decided to take it upon herself to break the ice. “Kanpai!” she grinned at the group as she held her bottle of Kirin aloft.

The woman at the other end of the table with short black hair smiled and echoed the toast, “Kanpai!”, with a smile as she took a swig of her drink.

“I’m so glad there’s somebody else here who knows how to drink,” Abbie grinned at the other group. “I’m Abbie, this is my girlfriend Serena and these are our friends Alex and Olivia,” she introduced their little group to the other half of the table.

The dark haired woman who had toasted Abbie back smiled and introduced her foursome. “Nice to meet you all. I’m Lucy, this,” she put her hand on the arm of the brunette next to her, “is Janet. Next to her is Emily,” she pointed at the dark haired woman in the center of their group, “and the blonde next to her is JJ. Are you all from DC?”

“I am,” Abbie drawled as she took another swig from her drink.

“Liv and I are visiting from New York,” Alex smiled.

“And I kind of split my time between here and the City,” Serena shrugged. “How about you all?”

Lucy laughed. “We’re all from here.”

“Ah,” Abbie nodded, slipping into the role of grand hostess. “So what do you all do?”

Lucy smiled and shrugged, “I own my own business. I guess you could call it a consulting firm. How about you?”

“Lawyer,” Alex, Abbie and Serena raised their hands.

“Well, at least if things get a little wild you all will be able to get us out of trouble,” Lucy smiled.

“Uh, we’re more in the business of making sure trouble goes away for a very long time,” Abbie grinned. “I’m a prosecutor here in town, and they,” she flipped her thumb at Alex and Serena, “are ADAs in New York.”

Seeing the other groups attention shift to her Olivia offered a crooked smile as she supplied, “I’m a Detective.”

Janet smiled and offered, “FBI.”

Taking advantage of the law enforcement tie-in the dark haired woman who Lucy had introduced as Emily spoke up, “JJ and I work for the BAU. We do a lot of contract work with different departments across the country.”

“Do you know George Huang?” Olivia asked.

JJ smiled and nodded. “I do. We worked together for a time before he left DC for New York. How do you know George?”

“He’s our resident forensic psychiatrist and profiler,” Olivia answered.

“We love him,” Alex smiled. “He’s been a great help to us up in SVU.”

“What’s SVU?” Janet asked.

“Sex crimes,” Olivia answered. “I’m one of the detectives for the unit and Alex here is our prosecutor.”

“The good old work connection,” Lucy laughed, the statement garnering chuckles all around as each pairing thought of their own work connection.

“Exactly,” Alex, Olivia, Abbie and Serena nodded.

“I would like to offer a toast, to new friends,” Lucy smiled at Alex, Abbie, Olivia and Serena who all raised their glasses as well. “Kanpai!” the group toasted with a laugh.

“You ladies ready for a fun dinner?” A smallish Japanese man asked as he pushed his little trolley full of supplies over to the business side of the table.

“Absolutely,” Abbie grinned.

“Very good,” the chef smiled. “My name is Ken and I’ll be your chef this evening.”

“Oh god, I am so full,” Olivia groaned as she leaned back away from the table. “I can’t believe those three are still going at it,” she muttered to Alex.

Alex looked over to where Abbie, JJ, and Lucy were trying to one-up the other with how many shots of tequila they could drink. “On the bright side, I got my camera,” she offered with a smile.

From the other side of the large room there was a sudden explosion of clapping as a troupe of servers walked over to a table with a little Buddha statue that had a candle sticking out of his folded hands and a bowl of ice cream. Bringing up the rear of the mini-procession was one of the hostesses from the front of the restaurant with a Polaroid camera. The staff burst into an energetic rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ and when the song was over the entire restaurant applauded, which of course only served to make the poor woman who’d become the center of attention blush more furiously.

“Where are they going?” Alex asked Olivia as she watched the shot-slamming trio exchange a sloppy group high five with identical shit-eating grins as they weaved their way through the crowded restaurant toward the staffers with the Buddha and the camera.

“Oh shit,” Emily gasped as JJ broke away from the pack to hip check a chef away from his grill and steal his spatula right out of his hand. They watched as she bowed dramatically to the stunned people surrounding the grill she’d just commandeered before she began copying the movements their own chef had made earlier. “Wow, I didn’t know she could do that,” Emily noted as JJ began chopping and flipping like a pro, completely oblivious to the slices of onion and pieces of zucchini that were falling to the floor around her.

“Alright, you ready?” the blonde’s voice carried over the restaurant which had grown silent as everybody watched the three wild women.

“Hit me with it!” Lucy held her hands up from two tables away where she and Abbie were gaining ground on the birthday celebration posse.

“You got it! Here it comes!” JJ laughed as she used the spatula in her right hand to flip a piece of shrimp into the air towards Lucy who expertly caught it with her mouth.

“Impressive,” Alex observed as she clapped politely with the rest of the restaurant.

“You learn all sorts of skills at Quantico,” Janet and Emily laughed as they watched Lucy take a bow before hurrying to catch back up to Abbie – who, apparently, had some grand master plan to accomplish.

“Oh, this can’t be good,” Serena groaned as she spied Abbie and Lucy cornering the hostess with the camera and the poor busboy who was holding the Buddha statue.

“Alex, gimme your camera,” Olivia asked hopefully, letting out a small _whoop_ of excitement when the blonde handed over a small silver camera.

“Oh god,” Janet moaned as she watched Lucy smile at the hostess with the Polaroid before taking her camera. “Her Aunt is going to kick my ass.”

“Did Abbie just steal the Buddha guy?” Alex asked Olivia, who had stood up to see better.

“Yeah,” Olivia nodded as she looked down at the little camera she was holding. “Does this thing have a video mode?”

Alex grinned. “Indeed it does Detective. Here you go,” she took the camera and flipped it into video mode before handing it back to Olivia.

“Payback Carmichael,” Olivia grinned as she lifted the camera and trained it onto Abbie, making sure to not miss one second of the action.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“I can’t believe they threw us out!” Abbie complained loudly as their group huddled together on the sidewalk.

“I know!” Lucy laughed. “They looked like they’d never had anybody take their little statue and their camera and go around the restaurant serenading people!”

“They probably haven’t,” Serena pointed out.

“I know I haven’t,” Emily chimed in.

“Everybody seemed to be enjoying it!” Abbie argued as she wrapped her arms around Serena’s waist and nuzzled the blonde’s cheek.

“Yeah,” Olivia laughed, because everybody did seem to be enjoying the impromptu floor show – which is probably why the restaurant management let it go on for as long as they did.

“Right up until the moment you decided to abandon the more tame songs like _Girls Just Wanna Have Fun_ and _Walk Like an Egyptian_ and decided that _I Want Your Sex_ was somehow an acceptable choice,” Alex drawled.

“The dancing on the chairs so everybody could see you better probably wasn’t the best idea either. Sorry babe,” Janet added.

“That song’s a classic!” Lucy grinned. “It’s freaking George Michael for God’s sake!”

“Did you see that old woman’s face when you guys were … um … performing?” Emily asked as she pulled JJ in close.

“I got a picture of her,” Janet smiled as she waved her camera at Lucy, who had been the one to give the old offended woman a lap dance.

“I’m a little more concerned with the fact that the three of them all knew the lyrics well enough to sing it a cappella,” Olivia chuckled.

“I plead the fifth,” Lucy laughed.

“Following it up with _Like a Virgin_ probably wasn’t the best choice either,” Alex continued her critique of their performance.

“Again, another classic,” Lucy laughed. “Hey, it’s a little cold to stand out here reliving what will most likely be the highlight of those boring peoples’ lives in there, we’re going to head over to a little jazz bar by my place if you guys want to join us.”

Abbie exchanged a look with Alex who shrugged. “I was looking forward to going dancing, but we can do something else,” she offered.

Abbie shook her head as she turned to Lucy, “I promised Alex we’d go dancing, so I think we’re just going to stick to our original plan. It was really great meeting you all, this was a lot of fun.”

“It was,” JJ smiled. “Very nice meeting you,” she shook each of their hands. “Maybe we’ll run into you around town again.”

“Maybe,” Abbie smiled. “That would be fun.”

“Yeah,” Serena laughed as she shook hands with each of their new friends. “Abbie will be the one with the little Buddha statue.”

“I’m never going to live this down, am I?” Abbie sighed.

“Nope,” Olivia grinned. “I got it on video. I especially liked the little bump and grind routine you did with the Buddha statue. It’s time for your YouTube paybacks Carmichael.”

“Hey,” JJ pointed at Alex and Olivia. “Are you the two from that viral _Top Gun_ bar scene vid?”

“That would be us,” Alex smiled.

“Ohmygod,” JJ laughed. “I love that – you guys were awesome! I think I’ve watched that clip like twenty times!”

It was on that note that farewells were exchanged and the two groups split into their waiting cabs. Abbie rattled off the address of the club for the driver and they settled in for the short drive over to Lace, taking the time the ride afforded them to watch the video Olivia had taken of Abbie, Lucy and JJ’s impromptu performance.

“Damn,” Abbie muttered as the video finished just as their cab pulled to a stop outside the club. “I was hoping you’d've gotten Luce and JJ in the vid so that way you wouldn’t be able to post it.”

“Nope,” Olivia winked. “Kept it trained on you the whooooooole time.”

“I noticed,” Abbie groaned.

Alex handed a few bills over to the driver as they poured out of the cab. “Alright,” she clapped. “I’m ready to dance. Liv?”

“As you wish,” Olivia answered with a mock bow as she took Alex’s hand and tucked it in under her arm. “After you milady.”

The foursome passed easily through the door and, after checking their coats and bags and agreeing that if they weren’t able to find the other they’d meet up at Abbie’s place for brunch the following morning, made their way out to the dance floor where they paired off and separated – Alex and Olivia hovering around the edge of the floor while Abbie and Serena cut through the mass of bodies towards the center.

“You having fun?” Alex smiled as she grasped Olivia’s hips and pulled the brunette in close.

“I always have fun when I’m with you,” Olivia answered honestly as she brushed her lips against Alex’s cheek. “You know, this is the first time we’ve been dancing since that night.”

“It is,” Alex agreed as she moved in closer, slipping her right leg between Olivia’s, her fingers gripping and relaxing, massaging the brunette’s hips as they moved.

Olivia moaned softly at the pressure, her hands dropping to Alex’s hips as she leaned in to kiss her tenderly. “I wanted to kiss you like that so badly that night,” she smiled after she’d pulled back.

“Me too,” Alex confessed, her hands sliding up Olivia’s torso to frame the brunette’s face as she leaned in and returned her lover’s kiss with a longer, more heated one of her own. When the need for air forced them to separate Alex laid her forehead against Olivia’s and smiled. “Dance with me Liv.”


	7. Chapter 7

**_Soft hands sliding over her arms, her shoulders, her back, down to her ass, gliding, sliding, gripping, squeezing. That touch ratcheting up her need, causing her heart to pound in her chest, to thunder in her ears, to pulse between her legs, the tempo speeding with each brush of lips against her neck. Her cheek. Her mouth._ **

**_Smoky words rasped against her lips between ragged breaths, “I want to taste you Liv.”_ **

**_Oh god. That voice. That mouth. Those lips. Those soft, silky soft lips that were moving down her body slowly but with a purpose. Moving down, down, unerringly down. Through the valley between her breasts, not bothering to venture left or right to tease, to nip, to suckle her straining swollen tips. And for the life of her she couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not. She leaned back against the wall for support as those lips, that tongue, moved down, always down, teasing, kissing, licking down, down over her abs that she could feel trembling in anticipation. Teeth raking over a protruding hip leaving a trail of fire in their wake. A hand behind her knee. Tugging gently. Silently beseeching. Who was she to deny it? She shifted her weight and watched as the woman before her guided the leg over a deceptively strong shoulder. Opening her wider. A moan escaped her as she watched the blonde’s mouth tilt up towards her sex._ **

**_Breath, hot breath against her. Dancing over her, promising the world and the moon and the stars with the gentle caress of air moving over her wet and throbbing center. Blue eyes, blue eyes dark with desire and sparkling with love gazing up her body at her, pinning her to the wall as a pink tongue slowly slid out between plump kiss swollen lips, wetting them, readying them as they hovered above her, making time stand still as she waited, waited for Alex to release her._ **

**_“I love you.” A whispered promise to match the silent ones she’d been hearing all evening. “I love you Liv.” Again uttered on a breath, an awed breath as lids slipped down, hiding magnificent blue as the mouth hovering above her lowered to her, delivering a soft kiss to those sensitive lips before a quick tongue boldly ran the length of her._ **

**_Her eyes snapped shut as her head fell back against the wall. Stars. Flashing colors. Heat. God, so much heat. And Alex, her Alex touching her so tenderly, worshipping her so intimately. Fingers tightening on her hip as a hand trailed up and down the thigh perched on Alex’s shoulder. Soft. So incredibly soft. Everything. The touch. The caress. Teasing her higher, and higher with each flick of a tongue, with every low rumbling moan against her. Her hips began rocking of their own volition as her climax grew closer. Rocking onto a greedy mouth that turned firm and demanding. Demanding she fall. Pleading for her to let it all go and silently promising to catch her when she did. It was too much, too much sensation, too much feeling and she knew that on the next flick of a tongue against her she’d come apart. And then it was there, on her. Tasting, stroking, making her heart flutter in her chest, flicking and …_ **

“Liv, we’re back,” Elliot’s voice booming over her shoulder yanked her rather violently out of her daydream. “Wow, are you feeling okay? You’re looking kinda flushed,” he observed when she turned toward him.

Olivia scrunched her eyes closed in an attempt to regain some control over her body before she answered, “Yeah El. I’m fine. Where did you guys run off to like excited little schoolgirls?”

“It’s a surprise,” Fin grinned as Munch did a gangly old man version of a happy dance behind him. “You sure you’re okay?”

 _God no. I can’t focus. All I can think about is Alex’s hands and mouth on my body._ “Yeah,” Olivia offered a weak smiled. “Yeah. Maybe I’ll just go to the bathroom and try splashing a little cold water on my face, see if that’ll help.”

The three boys all nodded and smiled at her as she pushed up from her desk and walked out of the squad room. Once she was clear of the double doors and out of sight Munch piped up, “So, do you think she was daydreaming about Cabot?”

Fin looked over at his partner and shook his head. “Has it been so long that you’ve been with a woman that you don’t recognize the symptoms?”

Munch crossed his arms over his chest. “What symptoms?”

“Flushed cheeks, short breaths, dilated pupils,” Fin rattled off a few of the more obvious signs of arousal.

“Hey!” Elliot interrupted them. “That’s my partner. And, she’s like our sister – so knock it off. That’s gross.”

“Yeah,” Fin agreed reluctantly. “But you gotta admit – Olivia and Cabot … that’s hot.”

“Yeah,” Elliot and Munch agreed.

Just then Cragen poked his head out of his office, his angry gaze leveled on his three male detectives. “Where were you yahoos?”

“Errand, Cap,” Elliot held up the rolled sheet of plastic he was holding.

“Is that the…,” Cragen’s voice trailed off as he hiked a brow questioningly.

“Yup,” Elliot grinned.

Cragen frowned thoughtfully. “I thought it was supposed to be done yesterday?”

Elliot shrugged. “Gus said that he had an issue with his screening machine and it took him a while to fix it so it ended up taking an extra day. Is it okay if we hang it from the crib?”

Cragen nodded and disappeared back into his office to call Liz and let her know that **_the_** sign was here as Elliot and Fin ran to their lockers to dig out the staple guns they’d stashed there before scampering up the stairs to hang the sign while John stood in the center of the room directing them.

“A little bit higher on your side Fin,” he called out, waving his right arm higher. “Elliot, just bring your side down a smidge,” he continued.

“What’s Elliot bringing down a smidge, his ego?” Olivia asked as she reentered the squad room to find Munch look like he was directing air traffic and Elliot and Fin nowhere to be seen. She came to a stop beside the bespectacled detective and turned around to see what he was looking at. “Oh. My. God. I gotta call Alex,” she muttered as she ran over to her desk and quickly dialed the ADA’s number.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**_Oh god, the taste, the feel of Olivia coming apart on her mouth. Her lips. Her tongue. Heaven. And then before the last rocking tremor had subsided, before she was able to milk out a second orgasm from her trembling lover, the leg that she’d placed over her shoulder disappeared and strong hands wrapped around her shoulders, guiding her up off the floor. She got to her feet and was pulled against the heaving chest of the woman she loved, the woman who’d so quickly become her entire world. She buried her face in the crook of a sweaty tanned neck and breathed in deep the scent of her lover. Sandalwood and leather, as always, but now with a salty tint of sweat and a musky edge of sex._ **

**_Husky words danced over her soul as she was embraced by her lover. “I love you Alex.”_ **

**_She smiled and pressed a soft kiss to the sensitive hollow of Olivia’s throat, her own voice sounding rough to her ears as she replied, “I love you too Liv.”_ **

**_Strong arms squeezed her tight, “I never thought I’d find this,” the confession uttered on a breath and caused hers to catch in her throat. She kissed the collarbone under her cheek, slowly moving her lips up the column of Olivia’s throat until she found the brunette’s lips and captured them in a deep reassuring kiss._ **

**_She felt herself being steered backwards toward the bed as the kiss deepened. Calloused hands on her hips guiding her back one slow step at a time. Right when she’d expected to bump into the bed she felt herself being spun around and then her lover’s lips disappeared for a moment before she was pulled down onto Olivia’s lap. She moved her knees to either side of her lover’s hips as Olivia’s mouth claimed hers once more. The hands on her hips began to move, sliding down her thighs to her knees and back up again. Over the side of her hips and up her back, grasping the wings of her shoulders and pulling her forward forcefully. Breasts crushed between arched and heaving bodies as mouths sought to devour. Teeth nipping at tongues at lips as strong fingers dug into her back and her hands tangled in short messy spikes; pulling Olivia in tighter, delighting in the feeling of their mouths, their bodies, their souls moving together._ **

**_The body beneath her leaned back, the hands on her shoulders sliding back down to her hips as her upper body fell forward in a desperate attempt to not break their kiss. Gasping, she pulled away by inches to rest her forehead against Olivia’s sweaty brow._ **

**_“God I love you Alex,” Olivia smiled up at her, the brunette’s fingers playing at her hips. Rubbing, stroking, massaging. Thumbs digging into the seam where her hips met her body, fingertips grasping at the muscles of her ass. Pulling, tugging against her. “Let me love you?”_ **

**_Oh god. That voice. So rich, so deep, so full of love. And those eyes. Big and brown and staring up at her as if they could see into her very soul and they liked what they saw. The swirling emotion visible in those mocha orbs the closest thing to liquid desire she’d ever experienced._ **

**_“Of course,” her consent offered on a breath as she appraised the woman below her, searching for a sign as to what she desired._ **

**_Fingers digging a little harder into her ass as Olivia’s grip on her tightened. Again tugging at her. Again pulling at her. Those subtle signs were enough to convey Olivia’s wish. She loosened her limbs and allowed her lover to guide her higher up her body. Higher, over defined abs. Higher, her inner thighs brushing tantalizingly over firm breasts, hardened nipples scraping teasingly against her. Higher and higher still, until she’d arranged her legs around broad shoulders and hot breath flowed up at her heated core._ **

**_Strong hands sliding down her hips and over the outside of her thighs, tracing over the top of her knees before making their return trips up the inside of her thighs as she balanced herself above her lover’s mouth. Her hips rocked forward, seeking, searching, as she looked down her sweaty body at her lover, her sex and her heart clenching at the look of pure unadulterated lust on the older woman’s face as she stared up at her._ **

**_“Alex,” her name whispered with awed reverence as Olivia’s hands returned to her hips and began to gently pull her down toward her lover’s waiting mouth._ **

**_The first gentle brush of her lover’s tongue against her was electric, her pulse and her body jumping at the intensity felt from that tender touch. The low growl that rumbled from below her grabbed her attention as surely as the hands tightening around her hips did. She was pulled back down to Olivia’s waiting mouth and her body became enflamed with passion as her lover’s tongue delved inside her, deep, deep inside her, teasing, thrusting against her, the hands on her hips holding her there, unable to move away from the overwhelming onslaught of sensation. Desperate for something to hang on to she reached down and tangled her fingers in her lover’s hair, scraping, scratching, massaging Olivia’s scalp encouragingly as the tongue that was teasing her to madness increased its fervor against her. Her legs were burning from the strain of holding herself up, her body was burning with her orgasm that was building and coiling inside her, She could hear wordless moans of encouragement escaping her lips as her hips fought to rock against her lover’s mouth. She was so close, so deliriously close. She could feel her nipples tightening, her abs trembling as she raced closer and closer to the edge with each loving, knowing flick of a tongue against her. And then Olivia’s lips wrapped around her clit and the brunette began to suck against her hungrily, creating a faint buzzing in her head, a ringing in her ears …_ **

… A ringing in her …

… A ringing …

… Ringing …

She watched, detached, as her own hand reached across her desk to grab the phone out of its cradle. “Cabot,” she husked.

 _“Oh god don’t answer the phone sounding like that,”_ Olivia’s voice greeted her.

“Like what?” Alex asked, her voice steadier but still low and throaty.

 _“Like you were just thinking about what I’ve been thinking about all day,”_ Olivia replied tiredly. _“You are wreaking hell on my concentration Counselor.”_

Alex chuckled softly as she looked around her disorganized desk. “I could say the same for you Detective,” she drawled. “Is there a reason you were calling or was it just to interrupt the rather spectacular daydream I was having?” she asked as she began rearranging piles of paperwork, thankful that there was no court this week due to the holiday and that tomorrow she and Liv would be heading up to Boston and she’d be able to stop having to pretend to care about work.

Alex smiled to herself as she listened to Olivia’s voice drop to a whisper, _“Who was in this spectacular daydream?”_

“Two guesses,” she offered with a smile as she sat back in her chair.

 _“Damn,”_ Olivia muttered. _“How much longer until five o’clock?”_

“Two hours,” Alex answered regretfully. “So really – what’s going on Liv? Do you guys need something?”

_“Can you come down here?”_

“Sure,” Alex answered as she stood from her chair. “What’s up?” she asked as she grabbed her suit coat off the back of the visitor’s chair she’d draped it over and slipped it on.

 _“Just get down here,”_ Olivia chuckled. _“This is one of those ‘you gotta see it to believe it’ kind of things.”_

“Alright,” Alex frowned as she pinned the handset between her ear and her shoulder so she could straighten her cuffs. “I’ll be there as fast as I can,” she promised.

_“I love you Alex.”_

Alex smiled. “Love you too Liv, see you in a few.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alex glanced at her watch as she hurried out up the steps to the precinct, her unbuttoned coat flapping around her legs and her loose hair blowing in the breeze. She threw open the front door and strode purposefully inside as if she owned the place, ignoring the inevitable stares that followed her appearance. She joined the small crowd waiting for the elevator, shuffling in behind the group with her briefcase grasped firmly in front of her. The doors opened at her floor and she exited the car without a backwards glance, eager to see Liv and to see what was going on with her squad.

The concentrated rhythm of her clicking heels alerted her detectives to her impending arrival and when she turned the corner into the SVU squad room she found Olivia perched on the edge of her desk with a smile on her lips.

“Counselor,” she nodded, her eyes conveying her true feelings – _I love you, I missed you._

“Detective,” Alex replied. “You wanted to see me?”

“Always,” Olivia smiled as she pushed up off of the edge of her desk and crossed the few feet of dull linoleum separating them to take Alex’s briefcase and coat from her. “The boys have been scheming,” she whispered against the perfect shell of an ear as she moved around the blonde helping her out of her coat.

“Have they now?” Alex smirked as she turned to her lover. “And this is why I needed to come down here?”

“It is,” Olivia nodded as she spied her friends entering the squad room from Cragen’s office.

“Charlie!” three distinctly masculine voices called out exuberantly.

“I knew you’d come back to me,” Munch smiled.

“She’s not here for your old ass,” Fin smacked his partner. “You dirty old man.”

Alex laughed throatily as she turned to the group. “So what have my angels been up to?”

“You need to go in a little bit further to see,” Olivia gave Alex a gentle shove. “And look up.”

“Look up?” Alex asked.

Olivia nodded.

“Okay then,” Alex drew a deep breath and took a few more steps into the middle of the room, stopping between the pairs of desks and turning to look up at the crib. “Oh my,” she laughed, her right hand lifting to cover her mouth in surprise.

Surprise, because there, hanging above the SVU squad room, was a three foot tall by probably six foot wide banner that read _‘Cabot’s Angels’_ , the bold gold colored words superimposed over a charcoal colored silhouette of three men holding their guns up in the universally recognized _Charlie’s Angels_ pose. Her shoulders shaking with barely restrained laughter, she turned to find Elliot with his gun pointed up at the ceiling, flanked by Fin and Much who also had their service weapons drawn, all of them doing their best impression of the angels.

“Oh god!” Alex squealed, unable to hold back her amusement any longer. “You guys are too much!”

“That’s one way to describe them, I guess,” Olivia drawled playfully as she came to stand behind the blonde. “You should see the t-shirts they ordered.”

Alex turned to Olivia and whispered. “T-shirts?”

“Yeah,” Elliot piped up and when Alex turned back around to the guys they all opened their button-down shirts to reveal white tees with an identical logo to that on the sign screened on them.

“Go stand with the boys Alex,” Liz Donnelly’s familiar voice drawled from the entrance to the squad room. “And I’ll take your picture.”

“Picture?” Alex turned to her godmother.

“Yeah Cabot!” Elliot grinned. “We need a picture!”

“Picture!” Fin and Munch echoed jovially. “I want a copy in an eight by ten for my desk,” Munch informed Liz who smiled and nodded.

“Go on,” Olivia laughed as she pushed Alex toward the boys.

Alex laughed as she walked over to where the guys were standing. She threw her head back and laughed harder when the three of them dropped to a knee in front of her and resumed their pose. “You guys aren’t going to wear the shirts on the _Today Show_ tomorrow are you?”

“Nah,” Fin assured her. “We got something else planned for that.”

“Oh god,” Alex groaned.

“Come on Alexandra,” Liz admonished. “Don’t just stand there – do something!”

Alex glowered playfully at Liz before she put her hands on her hips and smiled saucily at the camera.

“On three,” Liz called out as she framed the shot in the screen on the back of the digital camera. “One … two … three …”

“Boobies!” Olivia called out loudly, which got Alex and the guys laughing hysterically.

“Got it,” Liz announced as she glanced at the screen. “Well played Olivia,” she grinned.

Olivia chuckled and grinned back at the Bureau Chief. “Thank you Liz.”

“ _Boobies_ , Detective?” Alex drawled as she closed the distance separating her from Olivia. “Very mature.”

Olivia laughed and wrapped her arms around the teasing ADA. “It got them to laugh,” she murmured unapologetically in Alex’s ear.

“Hmm,” Alex huffed.

“Besides,” Olivia grinned as she brushed her lips across the shell of Alex’s ear. “I’ve been thinking of yours all day long.”

Alex smiled and tilted her mouth towards Olivia’s ear conspiratorially. “I’ve been daydreaming about your tongue,” she whispered huskily. “And your hands.”

“Fuck,” Olivia groaned, her earlier discomfort reappearing in an instant as all the moisture in her body flowed south to settle between her legs.

Alex smiled and dropped a quick kiss to her detective’s cheek. “I gotta get back to my office and finish a couple things before we head out of town in the morning after the show. Meet you at my place tonight?”

“Mmm,” Olivia nodded distractedly.

“Good,” Alex smiled. “See you later then,” she called out as she grabbed her coat and briefcase off of Olivia’s desk and strutted out of the squad room.

“You got it bad Benson,” Liz chuckled. “I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning – make sure you don’t keep each other up all night, you need to look presentable,” she directed with a smile before she too turned to leave.

“Damn Liv,” Elliot muttered once the squad was left to themselves once again. “You look all flushed again.”

“Yeah,” Olivia nodded jerkily, thinking if she left now she’d be able to pack and get to Alex’s place before the blonde finished work. She looked at her watch and noticed that there was only another hour left on her shortened schedule. “Maybe I’m coming down with something. I think I’m going to head out so I can get some sleep before we need to be at the _Today Show_ tomorrow morning. See you guys there?”

“Sounds good Liv,” Elliot frowned. “I’ll tell the Cap you went home sick. Take care of yourself, you don’t want to meet the family looking like shit.”

“Gee, thanks El,” Olivia smirked as she gathered her coat and keys. “I’ll see you guys in the morning!” she called out with a wave as she exited the squad room.

Elliot, Fin and Munch turned at the sound of Cragen’s door opening. “Where’s Olivia?” Cragen asked.

“She said she wasn’t feeling well,” Elliot reported with a shrug. “So we sent her home to rest up for our big appearance tomorrow morning.”

Cragen nodded. “Okay. Who’s catching tonight?”

“We are,” Fin raised his hand to indicate himself and Munch.

“Alright. Then you need to get out to this scene that was just called in,” he handed Munch a slip of paper with an address scribbled on it. “Elliot, I want you to try and knock through those fives,” he waved at Olivia’s desk where all of their unfinished paperwork was piled up.

“See you later Elliot,” Fin grinned as he snagged his coat and shrugged it on.

“No good deed goes unpunished my good man,” Munch laughed as he clapped a frustrated looking Elliot on the shoulder before he followed his partner out the door.

“Paperwork,” Elliot grumbled as he yanked the top file off of the pile. “I hate paperwork.”


	8. Chapter 8

Alex’s hand paused halfway to her eye, the mascara wand she’d been focusing on a moment before completely forgotten as her gaze refocused on the mirror to watch Olivia climb out of the shower. She smiled appreciatively at the way the brunette’s deliciously short hair was sticking up in a million different directions from the quick toweling it had undoubtedly received and licked her lips admiringly at the sight of toned tanned skin wrapped in a plush white bath sheet.

Brown eyes locked onto blue through the reflective glass as Olivia smirked and drawled, “See something you like Counselor?”

Alex licked her lips again and nodded. “Indeed I do, Detective. Of course, I’d see a lot more that I’d like – love, even – if you’d drop that towel.”

Olivia pointedly looked over the jeans and sweater Alex was wearing. “Somehow that just doesn’t seem fair,” she noted. “Not with you all covered up like you are. Besides,” she sighed, the playful twinkle in her eye disappearing, “we need to get rolling soon or else we’re going to be late. Are you sure you want to take a cab to the station and then come back here for your car?”

Alex sighed and returned her gaze to her reflection as she finished putting her hair up. “Yeah. We need to come back uptown to get to Boston, so I’d rather not hassle dealing with parking at the studio.”

“Alright,” Olivia agreed easily, a mischievous smile tweaking her lips as a particularly evil idea sprang to mind. “Hey, Alex,” she called out with a smile as she drew the blonde’s attention back onto her. “What’s the dress code for this thing?” she asked as she turned away from the blonde and dropped her towel.

“Sweet Jesus,” Alex groaned, her mascara wand falling from her fingers into the sink as she turned to face Olivia. She hesitated at the counter for a moment, waiting for Olivia to turn to face her before she slowly crossed the room – stopping just in front of her naked lover. “Well, I do love the way you look in this suit,” she husked as she trailed her hands from Olivia’s shoulders down to her breasts which she palmed and massaged greedily.

“Aaaalex,” Olivia moaned softly as the blonde’s thumbs brushed over her nipples, instantly regretting her impromptu tease.

Alex smiled and tweaked the nipples under her fingertips before she dropped her hands and stepped back. “Dressy casual.”

Olivia groaned at the loss of Alex’s touch – and at her answer. “What does that mean?”

Alex smiled and leaned in to kiss her softly. “Just wear whatever you would to work and you’ll be fine. Trousers and a shirt or a sweater,” she elaborated.

“You’re wearing jeans,” Olivia observed.

“I knew you got that gold shield for a reason,” Alex drawled with a smile as she turned to the sink. “I’m taking my clothes for the show and will change into them there.”

“Okay,” Olivia nodded thoughtfully as she took a step closer to the mirror and stole Alex’s brush to run it quickly through her hair. “I’ll be ready to go in a few. Will you make the coffee?”

“Yup,” Alex nodded as she brushed the wand over her blonde lashes one last time and twisted it back into its bottle. “I’ll have a travel mug ready and waiting for you when you’re done. We can take our bags down and leave them in the car and then we’ll have Harry call us a cab to the station.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alex stared blearily out the window of the cab as it crawled through the pre-dawn streets of Manhattan en route to the set of the Today show. She found it utterly amazing, as she always did, that even at six thirty in the morning the city was literally abuzz with activity and people moving, driving, going about their day. She looked over at Olivia and smiled, enjoying the moment to observe the unguarded detective as she ‘rested with her eyes closed’. Not sleeping. No. Olivia would never do something as pedestrian as catch a quick nap in a cab.

“Stop staring at me Alex,” Olivia murmured, a small smile tweaking her lips as she turned her head toward the blonde and opened her eyes.

“I like looking at you,” Alex smiled unapologetically as she lifted her right hand to lightly trace the backs of her fingers down the brunette’s cheek. “You look so peaceful when you sleep.”

“Wasn’t sleeping,” Olivia argued playfully. “Just resting with my eyes closed.”

“Whatever you say Detective,” Alex chuckled. “Are you ready for today?”

Olivia smiled and shrugged. “Hopefully. I’m a little nervous about all this.”

“The _Today Show_ or meeting my family?” Alex asked softly, genuinely curious as to what Olivia was thinking.

“Both,” Olivia answered without hesitation. “The show because I hate being the center of attention, but your family because … well, because they’re your family and I want them to like me.”

“You’ve already met Maggie and Matt,” Alex reminded Olivia as she captured the brunette’s hand with her own, automatically twining their fingers. “And they love you. Everybody else will as well, I’m sure of it.”

Olivia smiled down at their joined hands. “I’m not so sure about that,” she confessed quietly. “But I’m sure about you.”

“I’m pretty sure about you too Liv,” Alex smiled.

“Only pretty sure?” Olivia teased.

Alex shrugged. “Eh, gotta make sure you can survive a Cabot family holiday before I go all in,” she teased.

“Oh, I’ll survive,” Olivia assured Alex as she leaned in toward the blonde.

“I know you will,” Alex smiled, licking her lips as she mimicked the brunette’s actions and leaned in closer so that her next words danced across Olivia’s parted lips. “I love you Olivia Benson and if I weren’t sure about you, I would never have invited you to the melee.”

Olivia chuckled before she captured Alex’s lips in a quick but serious kiss. “You make it sound like so much fun, I’d be a fool to miss out.”

Alex smirked and was about to respond when their cab pulled to a stop outside the studios. She reached for her purse for some cash as she advised Liv, “Why don’t you grab our bags out of the back while I take care of this.”

Olivia nodded and climbed out of the cab to pull their garment bags out of the back of the car while Alex took care of the fare. She swung the bags over her shoulder as she slammed the trunk closed before rounding the cab to help Alex out of the cab. She placed a protective hand at the small of the blonde’s back as they walked up to the studio’s revolving door and sighed happily once they were inside the building and out of the early morning chill. Alex led them up to the front desk where after a quick display of identification an intern for the show was paged to escort them back to the set. She directed them into a green room, which was actually a rather calming shade of taupe, and left them to go in search of the producer whom Alex had requested to speak with.

A few minutes later the young woman returned with two steaming cups of coffee and a middle-aged balding man. She handed Alex and Olivia the cups of coffee, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, as the man who who’d joined them introduced himself.

“Max Johnson,” he reached out and shook each of their hands. “You wanted to see me, Ms. Cabot?”

Alex smiled. “I did. Thank you for being so accommodating. I just wanted to check and make sure that you received the modified terms for the interview segment that I’d sent over yesterday evening?”

Olivia cocked her head questioningly as she watched Alex and the producer. She hadn’t heard anything about there being any sort of agreement as to what questions could be asked. Hell, she didn’t know that guests even had the power to dictate those things.

“Yes Ms. Cabot,” Max nodded. “I received them and Matt and Meredith have read them as well.”

“Very good,” Alex smiled. “I do apologize for being so …,” she waved her hand as she paused, “… uptight about the whole thing, but I’m sure you can understand our position.”

“I do,” he assured her. “There will be no questions as to your involvement with Detective Benson. This is a feel-good segment only.”

“Thank you,” Alex smiled and shook his hand. “What time are we set to tape?”

The producer checked his clipboard before he answered, “Nine. You’ll probably be on set for about twenty minutes, so we’ll have you ladies out of here by nine thirty. I am aware of your travel schedule for the day and we really do appreciate your agreeing to come in. Trish, the intern who was helping you earlier, will be back in a bit to escort you to hair and makeup.”

“Excellent,” Alex nodded. “Thank you so much.”

“My pleasure,” Max replied. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work. Ms. Cabot, Detective Benson,” he nodded at each of them in turn, “I will see you in a bit.”

“You dictated terms for this thing?” Olivia asked Alex once they were left alone.

Alex turned to face her lover and frowned. “Did you not want me to?”

Olivia stared at Alex, completely flabbergasted. “I didn’t even know you could.”

“Everything is always negotiable Liv. It’s just all about knowing how to go about it,” Alex smiled. “I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable, so I made sure that it wouldn’t be an issue. We can play the whole thing off as just you and the guys fulfilling a bet. Which is true – not the whole story, but true. Everything else,” she kissed Olivia quickly, “is **_ours_** to share with the world when **_we_** are good and ready.”

Olivia pulled Alex into her and captured the blonde’s lips in a searing kiss. “You are an amazing woman Alexandra Cabot.”

Alex grinned and kissed Olivia soundly. “I know.”

“And modest to boot,” Olivia chuckled.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Your friends are all here now,” Trish informed Alex and Olivia as she led them to the hair and makeup room.

“Great,” Olivia drawled, the smile on her face negating the somewhat exasperated edge to her tone. “Please tell me that they’re behaving themselves.”

Trish laughed. “Oh yes. They seem to be enjoying their fifteen minutes of fame quite a bit.”

“Good lord,” Alex groaned and Olivia laughed. “Liv,” the blonde turned to the woman beside her, “did you ever find out what they had planned for this thing? I got a little … distracted last night,” she smiled cheekily, “and forgot to ask you about it.”

Olivia smiled at the memory of the many different ways she’d managed to distract Alex the night before. “No clue,” she shrugged.

“Oh, that would probably be their suits,” Trish smiled.

“Suits?” Olivia asked.

“Yes,” Trish nodded as she motioned toward the left before she turned into the corridor. “They all showed up wearing black suits with matching gold ties.”

“Really?” Alex laughed. “Well, that’s not bad.”

Trish nodded. “I thought they looked pretty sharp, myself. Here we go,” she waved toward an open door. “This is Rob and Jen,” she motioned at the waiting stylists. “Guys, these lovely women are Alex Cabot and Olivia Benson.”

There were smiles all around and the four strangers greeted the other, “Nice to meet you.”

“Their segment is set to tape around nine, I need them done and ready to go by a quarter ’til,” Trish informed the stylists.

“You got it sweetie,” Rob laughed as he shooed the young intern out of the room. “Now, let us get to work!”

Alex and Olivia smiled nervously at each other as they allowed themselves to be ushered into the two chairs in front of the lighted mirror. They were halfway through their makeup when Elliot and the guys came bounding through the door.

“Awww, look at our Liv getting’ all pretty,” Elliot drawled.

“Shut up Stabler,” Olivia laughed.

“I kind of liked the whole process myself,” Munch smiled. “It was nice to be pampered. I even got a haircut!”

Olivia smiled at him in the mirror. “Looks good Munch. Nice suits guys,” she added.

The three men beamed as each of them reflexively moved the straighten their tie. “Thank you,” Fin grinned. “We wanted to look good when we met …,”

“Meredith,” Elliot jumped in.

Alex caught Olivia’s eye in the mirror and arched a brow questioningly, to which Olivia responded with a shake of her head and a shrug.

“Well boys,” Rob smiled at the Detectives. “We need to get these girls prettied up so they can change and get out onto set. So, if you’ll excuse us…,” his voice trailed off indicatively.

“Yeah, sure,” Elliot smiled. “Kath is waiting in our green room anyways.”

“Kathy’s here?” Olivia asked, thinking to herself that she and Alex would have to make sure to see her and say hello before they headed out after the show.

“Oh yeah,” Elliot grinned as he exchanged a quick look with Fin and Munch that had Olivia’s gut tingling – and not in a good way.

“What are they so excited about?” Alex asked Jen, who was now working on her hair.

Jen just smiled cryptically and shrugged. “Dunno.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alex zipped her boot up and stood, automatically smoothing her hands over her skirt before tugging her sweater down into place. She looked over at Olivia who was flipping the cuffs on her sleeves up to reveal several inches of tanned wrists and the detective’s favorite Breitling watch. She watched the brunette run a quick hand through her spiky do and smiled when keen brown eyes focused onto hers.

“Ready?” Olivia smiled.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Alex replied as she crossed the small space to stand in front of her lover, reaching out to run an appreciative hand down Olivia’s arm. “You look good Liv.”

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Olivia murmured as she leaned in to kiss Alex quickly before opening the door to their dressing room. “Well, let’s get this over with,” she waved her hand to usher Alex out in front of her.

“Ms. Cabot, Detective Benson,” Trish smiled as the women exited their dressing room. “If you could follow me please, we are ready for your segment now.”

“Of course,” Alex agreed amicably as she fell into step behind the perky young intern. They meandered through a maze like expanse of hallways and Alex sincerely hoped there would be somebody waiting for them after their segment to show them back to their dressing room.

“Here we go,” Trish called out over her shoulder as she led them through a set of green double doors. “Careful of the cables and such,” she warned helpfully just as Alex stepped carefully over a particularly thick bundle of black wires.

“You got it?” Olivia asked, eyeing Alex’s heeled boots speculatively as she placed a hand under the blonde’s arm.

Alex looked over at Olivia and nodded. “Yeah, thanks,” she smiled.

“Here we are,” Trish smiled at her charges as the cleared a row of cameras. “Matt, Meredith,” she called out to the hosts, “I’d like to introduce Ms. Alex Cabot and Detective Olivia Benson.”

“Alex, please,” Alex smiled as she stepped forward to shake the TV personalities hands.

“Olivia,” Olivia insisted as she introduced herself after Alex.

“Nice to meet you both,” Meredith smiled warmly. “So, here’s the plan. We’ve read over your requests and that won’t be a problem,” she assured Alex as she turned to lead them up onto the set. “We’ll have you two seated in front with the three guys standing behind you. We’ll do a quick Q and A about why the tape was done, your reactions to the response, etc. Any questions?”

Alex looked over at Olivia who smiled and shook her head. “No, I think that about covers it,” she smiled at the hosts. She smiled up at Elliot, Fin, and Munch who were all shuffling excitedly before she took her seat.

“There’s Kathy,” Olivia pointed at Elliot’s wife who was seated in the front row.

“And Liz and Don,” Alex observed. “And Serena,” she waved at her friend who had a digital camera out and pointed at the stage.

“Are you all ready?” Matt asked as the producer signaled that they were coming back from commercial.

“Let’s do it,” Alex smiled, turning in her seat to face the hosts as the music to _You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling_ began to play.

“Welcome back,” Meredith smiled at a camera. “We are here with a very entertaining group of people, many of you have undoubtedly seen their hit YouTube video which has already gotten nearly six hundred thousand hits …,”

Elliot nudged Alex and Olivia in the back at the announcement of their newest tally.

“… ADA Alexandra Cabot and the detectives of the sixteenth precinct’s SVU unit, Olivia Benson, Elliot Stabler, John Munch, and Odafin Tutuola. Guys, thanks for coming,” she smiled at the group.

“Our pleasure,” Alex replied, taking the lead for the group.

“So, tell us, what precipitated the making of this video?” Matt asked.

Olivia chuckled. “I lost a bet to a mutual friend of ours,” she waved a hand between herself and Alex. “Abbie Carmichael,” she offered, figuring that since they were all getting their fifteen minutes of fame that Abbie might as well get a shout-out as well.

“So you lost this bet and your friends helped you out?” Meredith clarified.

“Exactly,” Olivia shrugged.

“Nice friends,” Matt chimed in cheerfully.

“The best,” Olivia agreed with a warm smile.

“Were you surprised when the entire bar started singing?” Meredith directed this question toward Alex, purposefully steering the conversation past the point where it would be natural to ask about why Olivia was serenading Alex.

“Incredibly surprised,” Alex smiled. “It was very surreal.”

“I liked the way you all took turns with the different sections of the song,” Matt smiled at the guys.

“It ended up to turn out pretty well,” Fin smiled.

“I’ll say,” Meredith laughed. “Were you surprised with the amount of attention it’s received?”

“Very much so,” Alex answered as she looked over at Olivia who nodded her agreement.

“Alright, so now – in case there’s anybody out there who hasn’t seen the video, here it is now,” Meredith held her hand out to signal the tech to cut to the video.

The group as a whole turned to face the large monitors off to the side of the set, smiling at themselves as they watched the replay of that night up on screen. They were so focused on the screen, in fact, that they failed to notice the two new people who had appeared just off set. When the video ended the audience clapped and cheered, which made all five of them blush.

Meredith smiled and stood up from her chair as she held her hands up to quiet the audience. “Now, Alex and Olivia don’t know about this, but since this video is such a hit – we’ve arranged a little surprise for them …,”

Elliot elbowed Fin and Munch who were on either side of him and grinned as they moved around from behind the girls to stand off to the side. Alex shot a confused look at Olivia who looked equally confused. Their matching looks of confusion growing more pronounced as a bodiless voice began singing, “You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss…”

“YOUR LIPS!” Elliot and the guys chimed in laughing and clapping as Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis walked out onto the set. They slid into position behind the newcomer as Meredith finished her introduction.

“… the original Maverick and Charlie – please welcome Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis!” Meredith called out cheerily before applauding with the audience that was suddenly on their feet and screaming.

“There’s no tenderness like before in your fingertips,” Tom crooned as he walked hand-in hand with Kelly up onto the center of the stage where he directed her toward a seat that had magically appeared next to Alex’s.

“You’re trying hard not to show it…”

Kelly smiled at Alex and Olivia as she sat down next to them.

“BABY! BUT BABY, BABY I KNOOOOOW IT!” El and the guys sang raucously. “YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVIN FEELING, WHOA THAT LOVIN FEELING, YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVING FEELING NOW IT’S GONE … GONE … GONE … WHOA-OH-OH-OH.”

The four men finished with a rather dramatic bow and the audience once again went wild with their applause. Olivia easily spotted Kathy Stabler in the front row clapping enthusiastically as she hopped in place, with Liz, Don, and Serena all laughing and cheering as they looked on. A stagehand appeared with an extra chair that he set next to Olivia for Tom and Elliot and the guys returned to their positions at the back of the group.

“So,” Meredith took charge of the circus. “Now that you’ve made an extremely memorable entrance … Tom, Kelly, what did you think of the detective’s video performance?”

“I loved it,” Kelly smiled. “I think I’ve watched it at least a dozen times.”

“Seeing it brought back a lot of fond memories,” Tom answered smoothly. “That was a fun scene to shoot, it’s nice to see people having fun with it.”

Meredith nodded as Matt took over the remaining few minutes of the segment, easily directing the group of star struck detectives through the motions of the interview before sending them to commercial. “Thanks so much guys,” he smiled at the group as he stood to shake each of their hands in turn.

“Were you surprised?” Meredith asked Alex and Olivia.

“Very,” Olivia answered for the both of them.

“Well, if we could get everybody up here on stage, we’ll take a few pictures for posterity and then you are all free to go,” Meredith smiled. “Sound good?”

Elliot and the boys moved to stand closer to Kelly while Tom stood between Alex and Olivia. “I love tall women,” he quipped as he rested a hand on the small of each of their backs and smiled for the camera.

There were a handful of pictures taken, some with just Alex and Liv with the stars and then a few with the detectives, Alex and the stars. And they even managed to get one of Elliot and Kathy with Tom and Kelly. Alex laughed as she watched that one being taken, Kathy Stabler was hilarious in her excitement. After the pictures were finished they all shook hands one last time before separating, Tom and Kelly heading down the hall to the right while Alex and the detectives turned left to follow Trish back to their dressing rooms.

“I am going to get a copy of that picture in at least an eight by ten,” Fin grinned as he did a little jig. “That Kelly McGillis is smokin!”

“You know she plays for our team, right?” Olivia smiled at her friend as she wrapped her arm around Alex’s waist.

“No way!”

“Way,” Alex chuckled.

“Well guys,” Olivia grinned as she turned to face her friends. “It’s been a blast. But now I gotta go face the firing squad.”

“Good luck with meeting the family,” Elliot smiled at his partner. He pulled her into a loose embrace and whispered, “Take your gun with you – just in case.”

“Elliot!” Olivia laughed as she slapped him on the shoulder.

“I don’t want to know,” Alex drawled as she hugged Elliot goodbye. “Angels, enjoy your holiday and we’ll see you Monday morning, bright and early.”

“You got it Charlie,” Munch smiled as he pulled Alex into a fierce embrace, actually leaning back and lifting the blonde off of her feet.

“Munch, go get your own girl,” Olivia laughed.

“Can’t blame a guy for trying,” John smirked. “Take care of her,” he murmured in Alex’s ear before he let go.

“Always,” Alex assured him with a smile. “Now, we need to get changed so we can try and get up to Boston this afternoon. So, if you’ll excuse us,” she smiled as she hugged Fin goodbye, “we really need to get going.”

“Have fun!” the guys chorused as they waved and turned toward their own dressing room which was two doors further down the hall.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was after three o’clock when Alex pulled off of the interstate and began turning from one secluded road to the next. Olivia looked out the windshield at acre upon acre of rolling hills dotted with barns and lined with white split rail fencing. She turned her attention to the beautiful blonde who was driving and asked, “This is where you grew up?”

“Mmhmm,” Alex nodded as she looked over at her lover and smiled. “You like it?”

“Well … yeah,” Olivia turned back toward the windshield, her gaze immediately returning to the scenery. “It’s amazing.”

“It was fun,” Alex smiled as she turned off of the road onto a winding maple tree lined drive. “I have a lot of good memories of this place,” she murmured thoughtfully as she steered the car through a series of familiar gentle sloping curves.

Olivia watched the scenery out her window and gasped softly when they crested the small hill they were climbing and Alex’s childhood home came into view. Spread out at the end of the circular drive was the biggest house Olivia had ever seen in person. The stacked gray stone looked like it belonged on an old English manor somewhere and she quickly counted over a dozen chimneys. “That’s your house?”

“That’s the house I grew up in,” Alex answered with a small nod as she maneuvered their car around the bend and across the front of the house.

“Holy shit,” Olivia breathed.

Alex chuckled and pulled up in front of the garage. “You okay?” she asked as she turned to face Olivia.

“Yeah,” Olivia replied quickly. “I just … wow.”

“It’s a little pretentious,” Alex allowed.

Olivia swallowed audibly. “It’s gorgeous.”

“You okay?” Alex asked again, noting the way Olivia’s pulse was pounding at her throat and the shaky hand that raked through her hair.

“I’m a little nervous,” Olivia answered. “Any tips?”

“Yeah,” Alex laughed as she popped the trunk and climbed out of the car. She rounded the back of the vehicle and waited for Olivia to follow suit before she continued. “When the teasing starts – and it will – no matter what is said, do **_not_** show any emotion. We raise lawyers in this family, if you react to what they’re saying they’ll be on you like a pack of rabid wolves.”

“Well that’s reassuring,” Olivia muttered as she took a few steps toward Alex.

Alex smiled and gathered her lover in her arms. “Just keep your game face on Detective. You survived Mags and Abbie, you’ll be fine,” she kissed her softly.

Olivia drew a deep breath and nodded. “Game face,” she repeated as she chivalrously removed each of their bags from the trunk of the car.

“Exactly,” Alex smiled as she took hold of the handle on her bag and began wheeling it toward the front door. She bumped the bag up the handful of steps leading to the gorgeous mahogany and leaded glass double doors and turned to face Olivia. “Liv?”

“Hmm?” Olivia hummed as she stopped beside the blonde.

“I love you,” Alex smiled as she leaned in and kissed the still obviously nervous brunette soundly. “You’ll do fine. Everybody will love you.”

“Okay,” Olivia nodded and kissed Alex again quickly. “Let’s go meet the family.”


	9. Chapter 9

Olivia felt her heartbeat speed up into a irregular staccato as she watched Alex open the front door. She smiled tightly as she was ushered inside and stopped in the middle of a burgundy rug laced with bright hues of gold and cream just inside the foyer. She let her eyes wander over dark wood floors and wainscot divided walls, the bottom layer a bright white and the top half a warm cream. The expansive staircase at the opposite end of the foyer was magnificent, she estimated it to be at least ten feet wide, and at the landing it split, the wings leading either left or right depending on which direction you needed. She stood still, rooted in place and bathed in a kaleidoscope of rich, warm colors from the sun shining through the stained glass windows that ran from the landing to the vaulted ceiling high above.

Alex shut the doors behind them and turned to find Olivia rooted in place drinking in every detail available to be studied. “You okay?” she murmured.

Olivia nodded.

“Alright,” Alex smiled as she set first her bag and then Olivia’s off to the side of the foyer. “C’mon, let’s go see who’s here,” she directed, taking Olivia’s hand in hers as she led them down the hall.

“How do you know where to find anybody in this place?” Olivia couldn’t help asking as she obediently followed Alex, her attention split between the tantalizing sway of Alex’s hips and the photographs lining the walls. She easily spied quite a few pictures of Alex as a child among the black framed shots and made a mental note to come back and spend some quality time looking through the photographs at some point during this trip.

“There’s no snow on the ground yet – they’re all going to be out back,” Alex replied as she turned into the kitchen and headed directly toward the French doors at the far side of the room. “Here we go,” she smiled as she spied her mother, Maggie and Jenny lounging on comfortable chairs around the outdoor fireplace.

“Alex and Olivia are here,” Maggie smiled and waved as she spotted her niece and Olivia coming out onto the terrace.

Two blonde heads turned to face the newcomers wearing similar expectant smiles. Olivia automatically identified the one on the right as Alex’s mother – they shared the same honey colored hair and electric ice blue eyes. “Alexandra,” Carolyn Cabot called out warmly. “How was the drive?”

“Not bad at all,” Alex smiled as she crossed the flagstone patio to greet her family. “Mom, Jenny, this,” she turned and smiled at her lover as she pulled her in close and wrapped an arm around the brunette’s waist, “is Detective Olivia Benson.”

“Hello,” Jenny smiled, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she watched the two younger women suffering through the ‘meet the family’ moment. Remembering her own unforgettable experience, and completely unable to help herself, she took the first shot at the duo, “I’m Jenny, Matt’s wife. I know the drive is a long one, so if you girls are hungry there are some donuts leftover from breakfast this morning in the kitchen.”

Maggie laughed as Alex shot daggers at Jenny and Olivia choked out, “I’m good, thanks.”

Carolyn watched the exchange with a small secretive smile tweaking her lips. She’d heard enough about the brunette to know that she was supremely well matched for her daughter, the only question left to answer was if the Detective could handle the entire Cabot clan en masse. They’d all learned firsthand that not everybody could, but those that were able to survive thrived.

“Olivia,” Carolyn smiled as she stood to lightly embrace her daughter’s girlfriend. “It is so nice to finally meet you.”

Olivia hesitantly returned the embrace, a look of complete surprise on her face as she replied, “The pleasure is mine Mrs. Cabot. Thank you so much for inviting me.”

Carolyn squeezed the detective tight before she stepped back and corrected her, “It’s Carolyn, dear. No need to stand on formalities. When I hear Mrs. Cabot I start looking around for my mother in law,” she smirked. “And, believe me, the pleasure is all mine. Rumor has it that you make my daughter extremely happy,” she reached over and pulled Alex into a loose embrace, “I couldn’t wait to meet you in person.”

Olivia blushed and nodded shyly.

Taking pity on the brunette, Carolyn Cabot turned the full weight of her gaze onto her daughter. “I particularly enjoyed your little video on the internet.”

“You saw that?” Alex groaned.

“Of course. Adam sent the entire family the link to it,” she replied breezily and chuckled lightly at the look that crossed Alex’s face at the information. She had a feeling that her son would be getting an earful as soon as Alex ran into him. “It’s nice to see that you and your friends can still find some joy in the world with the horrors you see every day,” she told the two women earnestly before directing the conversation into more pleasant areas. “You two looked wonderful on television this morning. Did you know they were going to bring out Tom Cruise?”

“No,” Alex chuckled. “That was a surprise for both of us. As was the singing.”

Carolyn nodded and smiled at Alex and Olivia. She could tell that the brunette was a little anxious and she took pity on the duo, deciding to save her ‘talk’ with Olivia until the woman had settled in a bit. Not that she wanted to scare the woman off – far from it – Olivia was the first person Alex had brought home since she was in college. But she did feel obligated to at least lightly grill the poor woman about her intentions toward Alex. “Would you girls like to join us and have a glass of wine or do you want to go and join the games?” she asked, gesturing over her shoulder at the group of adults assembled on the lawn playing croquet and the smaller, more boisterous, group of children running around after a soccer ball.

“What would you prefer Liv?” Alex asked her lover, unsure as to whether or not the brunette would be more comfortable with the smaller group of women on the patio or the large group of men and kids out on the lawn.

“We can go out and meet everybody else,” Olivia shrugged. “Whatever you’d like to do is fine with me Alex, you know that.”

“Okay,” Alex smiled. “Then I’d like to go kill my brother,” she looked up at the sound of her mother clearing her throat. “I mean,” she backtracked as she grinned unrepentantly, “I’d like to introduce you to my brother.”

Olivia chuckled softly as Carolyn, Maggie and Jenny laughed. “Yeah right Alex,” Maggie teased. “Just go easy on him – last time you two got into it Matt ended up putting ten stitches in his shoulder.”

“That wasn’t my fault,” Alex argued with her aunt.

Maggie held her hands up in surrender. “Just don’t start any wars – you know the rules, no blood until Friday.”

“What did I get myself into?” Olivia mused, loud enough for the three older women to hear.

“You don’t want to know,” Jenny laughed. “Trust me,” she arched a brow knowingly.

Olivia appraised the woman for a moment, noting the knowing twinkle in her green eyes and the enigmatic smirk tweaking her lips. “Yeah,” she finally muttered. “Better to be surprised.”

“That’s the spirit!” Carolyn laughed. “Dinner is in a couple hours – Benjamin made his famous chili and we have apple pie for dessert.”

Alex nodded. “I’ll pass it on. C’mon Liv,” she released her hold on the brunette’s waist and started toward the laughing group on the back lawn.

She watched her brother line up his shot, his mallet swinging between his legs as he repeatedly looked up from his ball to the wicket that was his target and back again. Finally, after about six practice swings, he let it go and missed wide right.

Alex sniggered and called out, “Hey loser. You’re supposed to get it between the wicket!”

Olivia watched as the blonde man stood to face them. She automatically noticed his patrician good looks, broad shoulders and trim waist. His blonde hair and blue eyes were exact replicas of Alex’s and she immediately pegged him as Alex’s brother.

“What can I say,” he grinned as he strode over to where they were standing. “You were always better at aiming between the wickets than I was,” he winked conspiratorially. “I’m more of a stake man, myself.”

“That was bad Adam,” Alex laughed loudly.

“You still love me,” he smirked and reached out to pull his sister into a big hug. “How ya doing sis? Long time no see.”

Alex smiled as she returned his embrace. “I’m doing okay. But, more importantly – what the hell were you doing forwarding that link to the entire family?”

“Aww, c’mon Alex,” he grinned. “Maggie told me to!”

“Why am I not surprised,” Olivia chuckled.

“Oh, hey,” he turned his attention to Olivia and held out his hand. “Sorry about that, I’m usually not so rude. Adam Cabot,” he introduced himself. “You must be Olivia. It’s nice to finally meet the woman I’ve been listening my sister wax poetic about for the last year.”

“Traitor,” Alex muttered under her breath, the smile tweaking her lips negating the harsh tone of her voice.

Olivia smiled at Alex’s mutterings as she took the proffered hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Adam laughed as he shook her hand, leaning in close as if what he was about to say next was a secret. “We’ll see if you’re still saying that at the end of this weekend. We’ve chased many a suitor off – do you really think you’re up for it?”

“Sure,” Olivia grinned. “I’m armed.”

“Damn,” Adam whistled appreciatively. “That’s something I never thought of. Maybe I should start carrying for these things.”

“Yeah – that’s just what we need. A gaggle of Cabots walking around with firearms. Like last year with the tequila shots and the M-80′s wasn’t dangerous enough,” Alex muttered. “Hey, has Jill showed up with her girlfriend yet?”

“Jilly has a girlfriend?” Adam arched a brow questioningly in surprise.

“According to the rumor mill she does,” Alex smiled. “And that would be Liz Donnelly, so you know it’s true. I’m actually half banking on the fact that she’s hopped over to our side of the fence to detract from the level of heat Liv will get.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Adam smiled mischievously at his sister. “I owe her after last year with Cory.”

Alex laughed loudly at the reminder. Jill was definitely her mother’s daughter at times. “Come on, the little penis hats were cute!”

“Hey Alex!” Matt Cabot called out with a wave. “Send your brother back out here so I can finish kicking his butt – it’s his shot!”

“I’ll let you go,” Alex smiled at her brother. “We’ll catch up more later. What’s the game for the Cup this year?”

“Pucks,” Adam grinned. “And Andy called and said that they should be here by dinner, so at least it’ll be even teams.”

“Adam, get a move on! Ladies – donuts are in the pantry!” Matt hollered with a shit-eating grin on his face.

Alex shook her head flipped him playfully off as she hollered, “You’re supposed to be on my side Matt!”

“What’s the cup?” Olivia asked as they watched Adam jog out to where his yellow ball was.

Alex waved at her cousins Bryn and Bryan who were watching their own children running around as she answered, “Yet another Cabot clan tradition. We team up according to schools and play – whichever team loses has to do all the dishes after Thanksgiving dinner. And it’s **_a lot_** of dishes.”

“How do you determine the teams?” Olivia asked as she watched Adam’s yellow ball roll through the wicket and smack into Matt’s green one.

“Woohoo, you’re going down Matty!” Adam called out as he sauntered over to their balls and placed his foot on top of his own. He looked around, adjusted his stance, and reared back to smack Matt’s ball as far off course as possible.

Alex laughed as her mother loudly chastised Adam for sending Matt’s ball into the side of the house. From a distance she couldn’t tell if there was any damage, but she wouldn’t discount it after last year. “At least it wasn’t the window this time,” she observed softly to herself before turning the focus of her attention to answering Olivia’s question. “Ivys versus plebes.”

Olivia looked over at the smiling blonde and frowned. “What?”

Alex rolled her eyes and answered, “That’s how we break off into teams. Ivy league schools versus non-ivy league schools.”

“Of course,” Olivia drawled. “Because that’s how every family breaks into teams. So, did I understand right – your sister isn’t here yet?”

“Yes you did,” Alex smiled and leaned in to kiss Olivia quickly. “Should we make the rest of the rounds now? I see Matt’s kids, my cousins, Bryn and Bryan over there,” she pointed at two sandy haired adults who were forcefully prying a couple of boys off of each other. “And Jill’s brothers Jake and John,” she pointed at two men with pale blonde hair off to the side of the croquet game holding blue and red mallets in their hands.

“Are they all twins too?” Olivia asked as she looked at the people Alex had pointed out, her keen eye placing each pair at around the same age.

“Kinda,” Alex smiled. “Bryn and Bryan are twins. Fraternal, obviously. Jake, John and Jill are triplets, but Jake and John are identical.”

“Holy multiple childbirths Batman,” Olivia muttered.

“Yeah, the whole ‘multiples are genetic’ thing is actually true. Andy’s kids are twins, as are Jake’s. Bet you’re happy you can’t get me pregnant,” Alex laughed.

“I dunno,” Olivia mused as she looked over at Alex, her eyes softening and her face remaining neutral as she appraised her lover. “I can picture myself chasing a little Alex or two around the house.”

Alex studied Olivia’s warm eyes as she placed a gentle finger onto the brunette’s lips. “We will come back to this topic later,” she murmured, a small smile tweaking her lips. “C’mon, let’s get the rest of your intros out of the way and then we can get our luggage up to my rooms. I’m suddenly feeling rather appreciative of you and have this burning desire to show you how much I love you.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“My rooms are this way,” Alex informed Olivia as she turned left at the staircase landing and climbed the remaining steps. She led the way down the bright hall, motioning thoughtlessly as she rambled, “This is the door to Adam’s rooms, and that,” she waved off to the right, “is Andy’s. Guest rooms,” she motioned towards the doors surrounding her siblings’.

“So is that where the kids all sleep?” Olivia asked, trying to figure out how careful they needed to be.

“Over the holidays the kids always bunk in the game room over the garage so they aren’t running around the halls waking up all the adults,” Alex winked conspiratorially. “And this is my room,” she turned into the last door on the left and stopped in her tracks.

Olivia glanced over the blonde’s shoulder and laughed as she took in the sight of Alex’s sitting room, “Streamers? Seriously?”

Alex shook her head and crossed over to the small table in front of the loveseat and picked up the card that was resting against a stack of books. She slipped a finger under the flap and ripped it open neatly to pull out a greeting card covered with pictures of donuts.

“Do I want to know?” Olivia asked as she set their suitcases next to the bookshelves.

Alex looked up and smiled, holding the card out for Olivia to read for herself. The brunette took the card and quickly scanned the script inside, _Because we couldn’t give you streamers before. So glad you brought Olivia with you. Love, Mags_. “I guess it’s the thought that counts?” she looked up and smirked.

“I dunno,” Alex smiled as she looked around the ceiling that was crisscrossed with red and black streamers. “At least it’s confined to my rooms and it’s not all over the house.”

“That is true,” Olivia chuckled as she tossed the card back onto the table and gathered Alex in her arms. “Because I would hate to have to explain to all those kids what the streamers were for.”

“Hmm,” Alex hummed appreciatively as Olivia began peppering her jaw with kisses. “You definitely have a point there, Detective.”

Olivia smiled and kissed her way up to Alex’s ear to whisper, “I have a point in my bag as well.”

Alex laughed, low and throaty as she pulled back to smile at her grinning lover. “Do you now?”

“Mmhmm,” Olivia leaned in and kissed Alex soundly.

Alex smiled into the kiss and let her hands drop to Olivia’s ass. “Good thing everybody’s outside then,” she murmured as she slipped her hands into the back pockets of the brunette’s jeans and pulled Olivia into her as she teasingly ground into her lover. “Go get him,” she husked as she let go of Olivia.

“Really?” Olivia squeaked, her surprise obvious.

“Really,” Alex confirmed with a grin as she turned toward her old bedroom.

Olivia smiled at Alex’s retreating form as she walked over to the door leading to the hall and closed and locked it before returning to their bags and unzipping hers. She dug around in the front pocket of her bag, easily finding the toy and harness that she’d surreptitiously packed earlier that morning as a ‘just in case’ afterthought. She hadn’t expected to use it, or really to even be able to spend any quality time between the sheets with her lover – but it’d caught her attention as she was throwing the few things Alex had asked her to get into the blonde’s bag and she’d just grabbed it.

Now she was pretty damn glad she did.

She strolled into the bedroom, the toy dangling from her fingertips by one of the thin straps of the harness and smiled at Alex who was pulling the drapes over the floor to ceiling windows closed.

Alex smiled as she turned to find Olivia standing beside the bed with the strap-on hanging from her fingertips. “Hi,” she murmured as she sashayed across the room toward her lover.

“Hey,” Olivia smiled and leaned in to kiss Alex softly as the blonde’s fingers began unbuckling her belt. “A little anxious are we?” she teased as Alex finished opening the belt, ripped it out of its loops, and tossed it carelessly aside.

“You have no idea,” Alex purred as she hooked her fingers into the belt loops on Olivia’s jeans and pulled her in close. “I’ve wanted you since you got out of the shower this morning,” she muttered.

Olivia dropped the toy she was still holding onto the bed and grabbed Alex’s hips. “Glad it wasn’t just me,” she muttered as she kissed her way over the blonde’s jaw and down her neck, nipping gently at the sensitive spot below Alex’s ear causing the blonde to moan loudly and her own desire to skyrocket. “I want you,” she growled as she rocked her hips forward into Alex’s.

Alex moaned again, louder this time, before gasping, “Please.”

Olivia lifted her head to see lust and liquid desire swirling in Alex’s rapidly darkening eyes. She moaned loudly as her body physically reacted to what Alex’s eyes were saying, her nipples tightening and her sex clenching needfully. She crushed their mouths together, the softness of earlier lost in the face of her growing want, her growing need to possess, to own the woman in her arms. Tongues dueled as hands roamed, easily shedding clothes until they were pressed against each other skin to skin.

Alex was the first to pull back, a wicked smile tweaking her lips as she leaned over to pick up the discarded toy. “We really need to give him a name,” she mused as she kneeled in front of Olivia and began helping the brunette into the barely-there harness.

Olivia chuckled at Alex’s train of thought, her quiet laugh turning into a moan as the last strap was fastened and the blonde took the length of the toy into her mouth. “Fuck Alex,” she groaned at the sight of Alex kneeling in front of her giving her a blowjob. She obviously couldn’t feel the blonde’s mouth on the shaft, but there was something about just the sight of it that was so incredibly fucking sexy. She felt a flood of wetness settle between her legs as she let herself become entranced by the erotic show Alex was putting on for her, snapping out of it only when a questing finger teased her opening.

That wasn’t what she wanted.

“What?” Alex growled as Olivia’s hips canted away from her and looked up at her lover with a pout.

“Bed,” Olivia husked as she pulled Alex up to her feet.

Alex bit her lip and smiled coquettishly as she palmed Olivia’s breasts roughly and teased the already hardened tips with her thumbs. She chuckled softly as she felt Olivia’s hands drop to her hips and physically turn her toward the bed. “I was playing with those,” she muttered as she released Olivia’s breasts and allowed herself to be turned around.

“Now,” Olivia growled as she pushed up against Alex’s back, the fake cock lifting and pressing against her stomach as she guided the blonde forward onto the mattress.

Alex smiled to herself as she climbed up onto the bed, moving into the center of the mattress on her hands and knees. She looked over her shoulder at Olivia who was staring at her ass and asked, “Are you coming?”

Olivia groaned and quickly moved in behind Alex, her fingertips raking up the blonde’s hamstrings causing a trail of goosebumps to erupt in their wake. She ran her palms over Alex’s ass toward the blonde’s hips, her grip tightening as she rocked her hips forward causing the tip of the toy to dip into the copious amount of moisture between Alex’s legs.

“God Liv,” Alex moaned as she rocked back and tried to impale herself on the toy, wanting, craving, needing to feel it inside her. “Please,” she gasped as Olivia’s grip on her hips stopped her movement with only the head of the cock inside her.

“Patience, love,” Olivia murmured as she held Alex still with her right hand and reached down with her left to adjust the harness slightly so it was pressed more firmly against her center before she rolled her hips forward into her lover. “Christ Alex,” she husked, choking back a moan as the strap of the harness rubbed against clit as she pushed slowly into Alex. Once the toy was buried as deep as it could be and her hips were pressed tightly to Alex’s ass, she reached up with her right hand and pushed gently on the spot between the blonde’s shoulder blades.

Understanding her lover’s unspoken request, Alex lowered herself until she was propped up on her elbows. She moaned again, louder this time, as the movement changed the position of the toy inside her.

Olivia scratched her nails down Alex’s back as she pulled out, rocking just the head of the cock inside the blonde as she ran her hand back to its previous position on Alex’s hip. She pushed back in just as slowly as before, her fingertips gripping Alex’s hips as she rolled her own into the blonde, her movements gentle and tentative as she was still unsure about just taking Alex when she wanted her.

Thankfully, Alex harbored no such insecurities.

“Fuck me,” Alex growled as she rocked back into Olivia, pushing the cock just that little bit deeper into herself.

“God,” Olivia moaned as she rolled her hips forward, grinding into her lover as her body literally came alive at the blonde’s smoky words.

Alex gasped appreciatively as Olivia pulled out and pushed back into her more forcefully, the wonderful feeling of fullness combined with the friction of the toy sliding in and out of her igniting the familiar burn of want and desire low in her belly.

She relaxed her shoulders and allowed her forehead to drop to the mattress as Olivia’s stroke became more confident, more demanding. _God she’s good at this_ , Alex bit her lip and moaned loudly as her eyes rolled back into her head after a particularly ferocious thrust. _So incredibly fucking good,_ she thought to herself at the almost hypnotic shifting pressure of Olivia’s hands on her hips from the brunette’s fingertips on every thrust to the heel on every pull. The tempo, the force, of Olivia’s movements increasing with each stroke until their rhythm against each other became nearly frantic.

 _Christ, I don’t know how long I’m going to last,_ Olivia’s inner voice groaned as the strap between her legs rubbed her so perfectly at the end of each thrust and pulled up into her every time she rolled her hips back and Alex’s inner muscles clamped down around the toy, clutching at it, fighting its removal.

“That’s it baby,” Olivia encouraged throatily as she rolled her hips hard into Alex after a particularly forceful thrust. “God you feel so good Alex,” she husked, leaning forward and sliding her hand over Alex’s mound as her hips rocked back.

“Aaah, Liv,” Alex gasped as the fingertips that had been playing at her right hip suddenly slid down to tease her clit sending a jolt of pure electricity through her body as that sudden, unexpected, masterful touch pushed her into orgasm.

Already so close herself, Olivia was pulled over the edge mere seconds after her lover by Alex’s low, throaty, almost primal cries of pleasure. Trapped in her own release her hips rocked forward in a blind search for contact to extend the rolling waves of pleasure coursing through her body, pushing the toy cock deeper into Alex and eliciting another round of tremors to roll through both of them.

When the last racking spasm left her shaky and weak, she pulled out gently and quickly removed the harness, kicking the toy to the end of the bed and gathering Alex into her arms – wanting nothing more than the feel of Alex’s body cradled tenderly against her own as their flushed and heated skin cooled to the air around them.

“God Liv,” Alex moaned as she settled back into her lover.

“Mmm,” Olivia smiled weakly as she pressed a soft adoring kiss to the back of Alex’s shoulder. “God yourself Alex,” she teased quietly. “You were … that was …”

Alex intertwined the fingers of their right hands together and lifted Olivia’s hand to her mouth to press a tender kiss to the back of the brunette’s knuckles. “Yeah,” she agreed thickly.

They laid wrapped up in each other for an untold number of minutes, enjoying the warmth and comfort of holding and being held, falling into an easy intimacy that was in stark contrast to their frantic coupling. The disparity of the moments striking but at the same time markedly similar, both showing the love, trust, and affection that is required for such an unquestioned giving of one’s self over to your lover.

When her heartbeat had slowed to its normal rhythm and the cool air of the room left her feeling chilled, Olivia reached down to the end of the bed and pulled the throw that was artistically folded over the end up over their bodies.

“Mmm,” Alex hummed appreciatively at the warmth.

Olivia smiled and pressed another kiss to the back of Alex’s shoulder. “You surprised me,” she murmured as she propped her head up on her left hand.

Alex smiled and rolled over, careful to not dislodge Olivia’s arm from around her waist. “How so?” she asked as she lifted her head up to kiss her lover tenderly.

“I wasn’t expecting you to be so …,” Olivia’s voice trailed off as she searched for the right word.

“Forward?” Alex offered helpfully, a playful smile tweaking her lips as she ran her left hand over Olivia’s hip.

Olivia smiled at the feeling of her lover’s wandering hand sliding over her body and nodded. “I guess that’ll work,” she conceded. “I was thinking enthusiastic.”

Alex chuckled as she slipped her hand between Olivia’s legs and began playing in the arousal she found there. “Should I apologize?” she teased.

“No,” Olivia gasped as the tip of Alex’s index finger brushed over her still sensitized clit.

“Good,” Alex smiled as she quickly flipped Olivia onto her back and began trailing kisses down the column of the brunette’s throat en route to her magnificent breasts. “Because I’m not done with you yet,” she smirked as she lowered her lips to semi-flaccid nipple and sucked against it hungrily, immediately bringing it back to full arousal.

“Dinner,” Olivia gasped as Alex’s lips left her breast with a wet _pop_ , knowing that for as much as she wanted this they weren’t alone in the house and that they would be expected to appear on time.

“Don’t worry,” Alex assured Olivia with a wink as she settled between her legs. “This is more of an appetizer,” she smirked before she lowered her mouth to Olivia’s swollen, wanting, waiting lips.


	10. Chapter 10

Olivia tugged gently on Alex’s hand as they passed the pictures she’d noticed earlier in the hall. She leaned in close to peer intently at a black and white picture of three little kids sitting on the end of a dock with their legs dangling over the water. “Is this you and your brother and sister?” she asked with a smile as she pointed out the particular picture that had captured her attention.

“It is,” Alex smiled. “I want to say I was five there, so that would make Adam six and Andy seven.”

Olivia smiled at the image of her lover as a young child as she asked, “Where was this taken?”

“The family house in the Vineyard,” Alex ran an appreciative finger over the picture frame. “You would love it up there Liv – the sun and the sand, as kids there was nowhere else we’d rather be. Maybe next summer we could go spend a week out there just the two of us?”

Olivia nodded and pulled Alex in close to press a soft adoring kiss to the blonde’s temple. “Sounds perfect.”

Alex sighed happily and turned to wrap her arms around the brunette’s waist. She buried her face in the crook of Olivia’s neck and flexed her arms, squeezing the detective tight in an unspoken declaration of affection. It felt right to be spending this time in her childhood home with Olivia and she was glad that she had never brought anyone home for the holidays since she’d graduated law school; she was glad that she’d saved this moment for the woman with whom she truly saw herself spending the rest of her life with.

The opening and closing of the front door behind them had Alex looking over Olivia’s shoulder to see who had arrived and she let go of her lover with a childlike squeal of excitement when she spotted her cousin Jill standing in the foyer with an ear-to-ear shit eating grin on her face.

“Alex!” the waifish blonde grinned as she dropped her bag and hurried to gather Alex into a warm embrace. “I’ve missed you!”

“Oh, me too Jill,” Alex chuckled as she stepped back to introduce herself to Jill’s apprehensive guest who bore a striking resemblance to Abbie. “Hi,” she held out her hand and smiled, “Alex Cabot. You know, you remind me of a good friend of mine.”

“Abigail Carmichael?” The brunette smiled a little uncomfortably as she shook Alex’s hand.

Alex nodded and cocked her head inquisitively. “You know Abbie?”

“Unfortunately,” the Abbie clone laughed. “She’s my cousin. So now I know why she was so damned amused when I told her I was coming to meet Jill’s family. Lindsay Boxer, nice to meet you.”

“Oh the pleasure is mine,” Alex drawled with a wink as she half turned to Olivia. “I’d like to introduce you to my girlfriend Olivia Benson.”

“Hi,” Olivia grinned as she shook each of the women’s hands in turn. “The resemblance is uncanny,” she chuckled as she shook Lindsay’s hand.

“Don’t hold it against me?” Lindsay laughed. “Please?”

Alex and Olivia laughed and nodded. “We’ll try,” Alex assured her.

“Oh so you are the infamous Olivia Benson,” Jill grinned as she used her grip on Olivia’s hand to pull the surprised detective into a strong embrace. “She’s been in love with you for forever, hurt her and I’ll have Liz make your life a living hell,” she whispered with a chuckle before she released the stunned brunette. “Jill Bernhardt, nice to finally meet you.”

“I thought Maggie was your mother,” Olivia frowned as she tried to fit this new piece of information into the Cabot family tree.

Jill laughed. “For as much as I’d sometimes like to believe otherwise, she’s mine all right. Me and the boys were given my dad’s name – mom never changed hers … feminist movement at its finest and all that jazz,” she winked.

“I see,” Olivia drawled. “So how was the flight out from San Francisco?”

“Fine,” Lindsay replied a little too quickly.

The blush tinting Boxer’s cheeks was enough to trigger Alex’s curiosity. “You two didn’t join the mile high club did you?”

“No,” Jill laughed. “I wanted to, she wouldn’t do it!”

“You Cabots are insatiable,” Olivia chuckled.

“Hey – I have yet to hear you complaining about my sex drive,” Alex smacked Olivia’s shoulder playfully. “Soooo, what happened on the flight?”

“Just some trouble getting through security,” Lindsay answered vaguely.

Alex was watching Jill’s reaction and knew that something else was up. And, being that this was Lindsay Boxer’s introduction to the Cabots it became her responsibility to push the subject just a little bit further. “Why? Firearm?” she asked, knowing from her conversation with Liz that the woman who was now cringing under her prosecutorial gaze was a detective. Or inspector. San Francisco has some crazy titles for its employees.

“Nah – all she had to do was show her shield and ID and she was cleared to carry. It was that suspicious looking object in her luggage that made the TSA agents a little squirrely,” Jill shrugged with a smirk.

“Like what – a strap on and nipple clamps?” Alex asked playfully.

“No … neither of us own a set of nipple clamps,” Jill answered with a grin as Lindsay’s blush deepened..

Understanding dawned quickly for Alex and she couldn’t help asking, “Why would you put that in your bag if you were planning to carry on?”

“I didn’t!” Lindsay argued. “She put it in there!”

“Well, I didn’t want those gross security officers digging through **_my_** bag,” Jill laughed. “You know how uptight they are nowadays.”

“Okay, can I just tell you how glad I am that we drove?” Olivia leaned in and whispered into Alex’s ear, to which the blonde just grinned and offered the detective a smile and a quick kiss.

“So, what room are we in?” Jill asked in an attempt to change the subject and spare her girlfriend anymore embarrassment.

“Same as always,” Alex grinned. “I know Adam was pretty excited to see you, why don’t you come down and see everybody and you can run your bags up before the game.”

“What’s the game this year?” Jill asked as she moved her bag off to the side of the foyer and out of the way.

“Apparently it’s time for pucks again.”

“Pucks?” Lindsay asked.

“That’s right,” Jill grinned as she wrapped an affectionate arm around Lindsay’s waist. “You West Coasters aren’t versed in the winter sport slang … pucks is hockey,” she clarified.

“You play hockey?” Lindsay and Olivia both turned to ask their respective blondes.

Alex rolled her eyes. “It’s not real hockey Liv, just a bunch of us screwing around on skates.”

“With sticks,” Jill chimed in. “You should be glad that you’re excused from playing,” she told Olivia. “One year when Alex was … what were you, fifteen?”

Alex nodded and shrugged, motioning with her hand for her cousin to get on with the story already.

“Yeah, somewhere around there, you were still in high school, I know that much,” Jill looked at Alex as she tried to pinpoint the time. “Anyways, Alex here got pissed at her brother and decided to whack him upside the head with her stick.”

“I had a breakaway and he threw **_his_** stick under my skates and took me out!” Alex argued. “He totally deserved that beating!”

“Okay, now I’m understanding the ‘no blood until Friday’ rule,” Olivia muttered.

“Yeah, after that year our parents instituted a mandatory helmet rule,” Jill mused almost regretfully.

“How overprotective of them,” Olivia drawled.

“I know, right?” Jill grinned. “So, where’s the crew?”

Alex glanced at her watch before answering. “Probably at any flat surface they can find – Benjamin made chili and cornbread and it’s six o’clock…”

“Feed time,” Jill nodded knowingly. “To the kitchen it is!” she called dramatically and turned down the hall, never looking back, just assuming that everybody would follow her.

“Quite the theatrical flair she has,” Olivia observed quietly as she and Alex watched Jill and Lindsay disappear down the hall en route to the kitchen.

Alex laughed and kissed Olivia tenderly. “You have no idea my love,” she chuckled as she remembered some of Jill’s previous stunts. “C’mon, gotta fuel up before the game.”

Olivia tightened her arms around Alex’s waist and held the blonde close. “Do we have to?” she murmured against Alex’s ear before she began laying a soft trail of kisses down the side of the blonde’s throat.

Alex’s eyes rolled back in her head at the feeling of Olivia nipping gently at her collarbone but she knew that now, no matter how much she wished it otherwise, was not the time. “Mmm, unfortunately yes we do,” she answered regretfully as she pulled away and twined her hands with Olivia’s. “Come on baby, let’s go have some dinner so we can get the game over with and then maybe afterwards you can give me a massage?”

“I can do massages,” Olivia nodded helpfully.

“I know,” Alex winked. “Now – enough sex talk, I gotta go face my mother,” she shuddered slightly. “And I don’t want to miss a second of Jilly’s coming out party.”

The mood in the kitchen was upbeat with all the ‘kids’ sitting around the large oblong table joking and eating dinner while the grandkids were in the dining room with the ‘adults’. Alex and Olivia quickly served themselves up a couple of bowls of chili and made their way over to two of the four remaining empty seats at the table. Not long after they were seated Jill and Lindsay came into the room, filled their own bowls and settled into the last of the open chairs.

“Hey guys,” Jill smiled at the group as she leaned across the table to grab a couple squares of cornbread out of the pan. She handed one off to Lindsay as she asked, “So, what have I missed?”

“Well, Alex and Olivia here seemed to have had a rather enjoyable afternoon,” Jake grinned.

“Oh god,” Alex groaned.

Happy that the full weight of the Cabot cousins’ inquisition wasn’t focused on her for the moment, Jill asked, “Really. Like how enjoyable was it?”

“Well, it sounded like a Baptist revival in there with all the ‘Oh Gods’ and ‘Sweet Jesus’-es,” John offered helpfully.

“I thought we were quiet,” Olivia leaned in and whispered in Alex’s ear.

“If that was quiet Olivia, I’d hate to be your neighbors when you’re not worried about how much noise you’re making,” Adam winked. “Right Skittles?” he looked right at Jill.

Jill looked around quickly with a confused look on her face. “Who’s Skittles? Me?” she pointed at her chest.

Adam nodded enthusiastically with a huge dorky grin on his face as the rest of the cousins sat up just that little bit straighter knowing that Adam was about to let go on Jill.

“Why Skittles?” Jill asked, knowing that she didn’t want to know but unable to help herself.

“Because you finally decided to taste the rainbow,” Adam replied.

The table blew up. Everybody was laughing so hard that they had tears running down their collective faces and the drinks that were in the process of being consumed at the time of Adam’s outburst were sprayed across the tablecloth. Jill and Lindsay even joined in laughing, albeit with distinctively embarrassed blushes tinting their cheeks.

“Oh god Bryan!” Alex laughed as she stood up and leaned across the table to steal his napkin to wipe off the beer that he had spit out all over her.

“Sorry!” he squeaked as he stole his wife’s napkin to clean himself off. “But it started to come out my nose and beer freaking BURNS when it comes out your nose!”

Everybody nodded sympathetically at that fact, each of them having suffered the indignity of having their drink spill from their nostrils at some point in their lives.

“So, how’s the rainbow taste sis?” John laughed.

“Amazing,” Jill winked at her brother.

“God, Jill!” Lindsay hissed, causing the cousins to start laughing loudly all over again.

Olivia, still laughing, leaned in close to whisper to Alex, “Okay, I am so glad that Adam decided to go after Jill and not me.”

Alex smiled knowingly and kissed the brunette’s cheek. “Don’t jinx it love, there’s still plenty of time for all of this to turn back around on us,” she replied sagely.

“What is going on here?” Maggie’s voice cut through the group’s laughter.

“Nothing?” Adam squeaked as he turned to face his aunt. “We were just having some fun with Skittles and Lindsay here.”

“Skittles?” Maggie frowned.

“Taste the rainbow?” Adam offered helpfully, cringing slightly as he was unsure of how his aunt would respond.

Maggie’s stern face broke out into a huge grin as she laughed. “Skittles … that’s good Adam – well done,” she winked at him as she turned to report back to the ‘grown up’ table what was happening in the kitchen.

The rest of the meal progressed in a much more mature manner, with the blatant teasing over everyone’s sexual preferences held to a minimum as the group instead focused their attention onto talking shit about the upcoming game.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After dinner everyone headed up to their rooms to change for the game and Olivia leaned back onto their unmade bed as she watched Alex digging through her closet. “What are you looking for?” she asked as yet another sweatshirt came sailing out of the closet and landed on the floor with six others.

“I need my hoodie,” Alex replied.

“You’ve tossed out six hoodies Alex,” Olivia observed.

“Yeah, but I need my lucky Yale hoodie,” Alex called out, exasperation lacing her voice.

“Lemme guess, another tradition?”

“Yeah – you gotta wear your school’s colors and I have one hoodie that whenever I wear it we always win. Fuck, where is it? Wait – I know where it is!” she called out as she hurried out of the closet and began digging through her chest of drawers. “Found it!” she held the heather gray hoodie aloft victoriously.

“Put it on,” Olivia smiled.

“I’m in my underwear Liv,” Alex frowned as she waved a hand at her cotton bikini briefs and sports bra.

“I know,” Olivia winked, rather enjoying the sporty look Alex was modeling. It wasn’t in the same league as Alex in sexy negligee, but even in cotton necessities Alex was certainly easy on the eyes. “And you look delicious. Just humor me Cabot. Put. It. On.”

Alex smiled devilishly as she slipped the hoodie over her head. It fell just over her hips so that it looked like she wasn’t wearing anything else. “You like?”

“You would have been one hot coed,” Olivia grinned.

Alex recognized the look in her lover’s dark eyes and she shook her head emphatically as she lifted the sweatshirt off over her head. “Not right now Benson,” she scowled playfully. “We gotta get down to the barn.”

“I thought you were playing hockey?”

“We are,” Alex nodded as she pulled on a pair of shiny red running shorts. “The barn is where the rink is,” she explained as she lifted a pair of black warm-up pants out of her bottom dresser drawer and put them on.

“You have an ice rink in a barn,” Olivia frowned.

“No. The building where the sheet is looks like a barn, ergo – we call it the barn. It was never a housing animals type of structure,” Alex explained dryly as she pulled on a white long sleeve compression shirt.

“You look hot,” Olivia muttered as she slid off the bed and ran her hands up Alex’s sides.

Alex looked down at herself. “I’m wearing warm-ups and a compression shirt,” she frowned.

“Trust me,” Olivia murmured as she slid her hands over the silky-smooth fabric of Alex’s shirt. “This is a very good look on you Ms. Cabot,” she purred as she palmed the blonde’s breasts possessively.

“I am definitely bringing this shirt back to the city with us,” Alex groaned as Olivia’s thumbs brushed over her rapidly hardening nipples.

“Mmm, I like that idea,” Olivia growled as she leaned in to nip playfully at the sensitive spot below Alex’s right ear.

“Liv, we really gotta get down to the barn,” Alex gasped as Olivia continued to play with her breasts. “Later?”

“Fine,” Olivia sighed as she dropped her hands and stepped back. “Then you better get that sweatshirt on because if I have to look at my favorite toys being all perky and excited like they are you aren’t going to make it down to the game … and I will gladly put up with the teasing we would get for that one.”

“They’re only excited because somebody was playing with them,” Alex laughed as she reached down for her sweatshirt.

“Don’t tempt me Alex,” Olivia hiked a brow threateningly.

Alex studied her lover’s serious face for a moment before she nodded. “Okay. Fine,” she pulled the hoodie on over her head. “Happy now?”

“Not at all,” Olivia grumbled as she slipped her arms into her leather jacket. “C’mon Counselor – let’s get you down to the ice.”


	11. Chapter 11

Alex regretfully let go of Olivia’s hand once they entered the barn and pointed the detective around the far side of the boards to where Carolyn and Maggie were huddled. “Do you want to stand by my mom and Mags to watch?” she asked tentatively, unsure as to how comfortable Olivia would be on her own with Carolyn.

“Linds will keep her company,” Jill interrupted as the pair from San Francisco stepped into the building behind them. “I’m sure between the two of them all of their police training will help them survive the mothers.”

Olivia shot a grin at Lindsay who nodded her agreement. “Alright,” Olivia sighed. “We’ll go get the grilling over with. Do good baby,” she pulled Alex in for a quick kiss before she let the blonde go to get her skates on.

Once Lindsay finished giving Jill a similar goodbye the two women began their slow walk around the basher boards toward Carolyn and Maggie. The older women spotted their daughters’ suitors as soon as the foursome entered the barn, and they smiled warmly as the duo approached.

“No need to look so concerned,” Maggie laughed as she pulled Olivia into a hug. “You know I don’t bite. I’m pleased to see you doing so well, how’s the arm?”

“Good,” Olivia smiled as she answered Alex’s aunt. “Still doing a little PT on it, but I’ve at least been cleared for desk duty. Should get a full release in a couple weeks.”

“Excited to get back?”

“Yeah,” Olivia nodded. “I’m sure Alex would prefer I stay at a desk though.”

“Probably,” Carolyn Cabot agreed, taking the mention of her daughter as an opening to join the conversation. “She worries about you Olivia.”

Olivia looked over at Alex’s mother and nodded. “I know,” she assured her. “But, like I always tell her, I’m careful when I’m out on the streets. I don’t take any unnecessary risks.”

Carolyn smiled and placed a well meaning hand on the detective’s arm. “I know dear. So,” she changed the subject rather obviously. “Who do you think will win this year?” she asked as she waved at the rink where the cousins were all warming up.

“I’m kind of partial to the Ivy league crew,” Olivia smiled as she scanned the Ivy team. Alex in her lucky Yale hoodie was snapping off some wrist shots against the boards with Bryan who was sporting Dartmouth’s colors. Alex’s sister Andy was skating lazy circles around the group in a Harvard hoodie and John (Columbia) was still lacing up his skates.

“No surprises there,” Maggie chuckled. “I think the Plebes have a real chance this year. Jake was telling me that he’s been doing a little skating on the weekends so he’s got his legs already.”

“I have to agree with Maggie,” Lindsay replied carefully as she slid in next to the boards to watch Jill in her cardinal red Stanford sweatshirt passing a puck back and forth with her brother Jake who was wearing the sky blue colors of Johns Hopkins. “Of course, I don’t know how good Adam is,” she noted as she watched him brushing ice off his maroon BC sweatshirt after having fallen. “Does he even know how to skate?”

“Mhmm,” Carolyn nodded. “He actually played through high school, he’s just screwing around for the kids,” she pointed at the nieces and nephews who were laughing and clapping on the other end of the rink.

“Yeah,” Maggie nodded. “The real weak link on that team is Bryn,” she pointed out the sandy blonde in a MIT hoodie. “She can stay upright, but she can’t skate like the rest of them.”

“Hey Boner!” Adam hollered across the rink. “You stuffy snobs ready to play?”

“Because your upbringing was so different!” Alex hollered back playfully. “Don’t blame us because you couldn’t cut the Ivy admission requirements.”

“Boner?” Olivia asked Carolyn and Maggie.

Carolyn laughed softly and nodded as she watched Alex and Adam skate towards each other and center ice. “No blood you two!” she called out sternly.

“Yes mom,” they replied in unison and Olivia had to laugh – she could imagine the two of them getting into all sorts of trouble as children.

“Alex didn’t tell you?” Carolyn turned her attention to Olivia as the game got underway.

Olivia shook her head. “I guess not.”

“Figures, damn secrecy,” Carolyn nodded thoughtfully. “Well, you know she went to Yale,” she waited for Olivia to nod before continuing. “She was recruited during her junior year of undergrad to join the Skull and Bones Society.”

Olivia turned completely away from the game to face Alex’s mother, her surprise obvious on her face. “What? Really?”

“Indeed,” Carolyn nodded. “Think back to when she first joined your squad – how would you have described her?”

“Ambitious,” Olivia answered immediately as she cut her eyes back towards the game for a moment. “Ruthlessly ambitious. Some of the guys called her…”

“The Ice Queen,” Carolyn cut in. “She didn’t like that one so much. But you see, that was why the Bonesmen recruited her … she was young, idealistic, and full of piss and vinegar and barrels of ambition. It’s not so much a fraternity as a group of individuals with political aspirations,” the Cabot matriarch tried to explain the true purpose of the highly secretive society. “And the alumni, if you will, have already achieved their own levels of influence and can help the next generation along.”

“She once told a suspect that she was going to send him down on the death penalty and when his appeals ran out she’d be the one answering the phone at the Governor’s mansion denying his clemency.”

“That does sound like our old Alex,” Carolyn nodded. “Her father was a Bonesman, bless his soul, he was so proud when she called to say that she’d been recruited – they’d only just started inducting female members, you see.”

Olivia nodded as she tried to picture a younger Alex in such a select group. “She’s not as blindly ambitious anymore,” she murmured thoughtfully. “I mean, she still cares a great deal about her win/loss ratio and putting the perps away … but she’s softened with the victims.”

“She’s lost her edge,” Carolyn nodded knowingly. “She doesn’t have her sights set on the DA’s chair, Governor’s mansion or the Senate any longer. Not that I mind, she seems much happier now – especially in the last month. I am guessing you are the reason for that Olivia.”

Olivia blushed and became very interested in the game that was being played so as to avoid the elder Cabot’s studious gaze.

“You don’t need to worry about the ‘if you hurt her’ speech or the ‘what are your intentions toward my daughter’ question from me, dear,” Carolyn chuckled. “I know you won’t hurt her. Maggie told me how you were shot outside that club and yet you still tried to chase down the man who grabbed Alex.”

“I only wish I would have stopped him from taking her,” Olivia murmured. “It was my job to protect her and I failed, you’ll never know how sorry I am for that.”

Carolyn studied the detective carefully as she replied softly, “I can see exactly how sorry you are in your eyes. It’s obvious. You love her, don’t you?”

“Yes ma’am.”

Carolyn pursed her lips but decided against correcting the suddenly shy detective about using her name. “If you don’t mind my asking, and feel free to tell me that it’s none of my business, where do you see your relationship with my daughter going?”

Olivia laughed and offered the elder Cabot one of her famous lopsided grins. “I thought you said I wasn’t going to get the ‘what are your intentions’ question?”

“I know your intentions – you love her and you want to keep her safe – what I’m asking is, where do you see your relationship going? Marriage? Kids?”

“Sounds a lot like the intentions question to me Carolyn,” Maggie laughed. “Let’s take turns, shall we. First Olivia can answer and then Lindsay,” she turned to Jill’s girlfriend, “can have a turn. We won’t be doing our jobs as mothers if we don’t do a little prodding to make these girls uncomfortable.”

Lindsay leaned forward to rest her forehead against the top of the boards and Olivia couldn’t help but laugh at the Inspector’s behavior. Deciding to take what attention she could off of the Abbie clone, she looked at Alex’s mother and answered her question. “I see my relationship with your daughter going wherever she is willing to lead me. As far as I’m concerned, she’s it for me. Be it via an official route such as marriage or just our own promises I don’t really care so much as I’m allowed to share in her life. Would I like to marry her and tell the world that she’s mine – absolutely. But she’s in a political field and I’m not going to push her into anything that would make her uncomfortable or negatively impact her career. As for kids,” she let her voice trail off as an image of little towheaded children running around flashed through her mind, “I am not too keen on the idea of passing along my genetics, but I would love nothing more than to cuddle up at night with a mini-Alex or two and the original. That would be pretty close to heaven on earth as far as I’m concerned.”

Carolyn Cabot looked at her daughter’s lover with a look of complete approval in her eyes. “You’ll do nicely Olivia dear,” she murmured as she turned her suddenly teary eyes towards the rink where the kids were still playing.

“Goddamn, I’m supposed to follow that?” Lindsay grumbled quietly as she rolled her eyes in defeat.

Maggie laughed loudly. “Alright, Inspector. I’ll give you a break until your next holiday with the family – I know the whole Skittles experience is new for the both of you … so I’ll cut you some slack. For now.”

Lindsay sighed in relief and offered Maggie a thankful smile before she turned to face the rink and the game, Olivia – sandwiched between Carolyn and Maggie – doing the same as the elder women shared a knowing smile behind the Detective’s back before following suit.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alex grinned as she exchanged handshakes and hugs with her cousins after the game. The Ivys won by three so the Plebes were doomed to dish duty the following day and in her mind there was nothing better than the thought of her brother up to his elbows in soap suds while she lounged around sipping wine and enjoying herself. Especially this year with Olivia. She looked over at her lover who was surrounded on either side by her mother and her aunt and tried to read the older woman’s expression to see how her time alone with the mothers went. Olivia offered Alex a soft smile and a nod and the knot that was building in the blonde’s stomach lessened at the unspoken message, _I’m fine._

She pointed at the benches on the side of the rink closest to the door, indicating that she was going to take off her skates, and Olivia nodded in understanding.

“Good game Alex,” Adam grumbled as he flopped down onto the bench beside his baby sister.

“Thanks bro,” Alex grinned and leaned over to bump shoulders with him.

“How’d Olivia do with mom?”

Alex looked up to see her lover walking arm and arm with her mother around the end of the rink. “I think it went well,” she nodded indicatively at the pair.

“Wow,” Adam whistled. “Looks like she got the full approval. That’s never been done since Andy brought Mark home. You got a good one there sis,” he told her seriously. “Don’t fuck it up.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Alex drawled as she tapped the heel of her skate on the foam mat to free her foot and lifted it up to her lap to snap one of the skate guards onto the blade. “But I have no intention of screwing this up. She’s the best thing to ever happen to me.”

“Awwwwww,” Jill teased as she sat down next to Adam.

“Jealous, Skittles?” Adam teased.

Jill watched Lindsay walking next to her mother, both with their hands in their pockets and their heads tilted in towards the other as they talked. “No,” she shook her head as a soft smile tweaked her lips. “No I’m not.”

“This is serious, isn’t it?” Alex looked from her cousin to Lindsay and back again. “You and her.”

Jill looked at Alex and shrugged. “It is for me. I finally figured out what all those other relationships…”

Adam coughed loudly.

“And numerous one night stands,” Jill muttered, knowing that at one point she was just as much of a player as Adam still was. “Were missing … until her.”

“Then I hope it works out for you J,” Alex reached across her brother’s lap to squeeze her cousin’s thigh encouragingly.

“Thanks,” Jill smiled as she turned her attention to taking off her skates and slipping into her running shoes.

Alex had just finished getting her Uggs on when Olivia and Carolyn stopped in front of her. “Good game Alex honey,” Carolyn smiled at her youngest child. “Adam – you better not break anything when you’re doing the dishes this year, that crystal decanter you dropped last year was a family heirloom.”

Alex sniggered at her brother. “Yeah, don’t go dropping anything this year Flash.”

“Flash?” Olivia asked.

“Got busted for streaking when I was pledging my frat,” Adam shrugged with a mischievous grin. “No big deal.”

“You do realize that she’s a sex crimes detective, right?” Alex whispered loudly.

Adam nodded and jumped up to wrap Olivia in a surprise bear hug. “Yeah – but I’m so adorable she’ll excuse a moment of childhood stupidity.”

Olivia laughed and pushed him away. “Sorry pal, you’re not my type,” she winked at Alex. “And I have a sneaking suspicion that you’d enjoy being handcuffed way too much.”

“Why – ’cause my sister does?”

“Hey now!” Alex interrupted their playful banter. “None of your damned business.”

“Yes, I rather agree with Alexandra on that one Adam,” Carolyn fought to control her own smile.

“Heh – he just got your mom picturing you in handcuffs,” Jill laughed.

“I’m not the only one who brought a cop home for the holiday Jill,” Alex turned to her cousin. “I’d watch the innuendo if I were you.”

“Point taken,” Jill answered quickly as she finished tying her shoe and jumped up to stash her skates in one of the lockers behind the bench. “Linds, what do you say we head on back now?” she asked as she took her girlfriend by the arm and quickly steered them toward the door.

“Methinks Skittles enjoys the handcuffs,” Adam mused.

“Why wouldn’t she?” Maggie winked as she turned to follow her daughter out. “They’re fun.”

“Maggie!” Alex, Olivia and Adam all groaned loudly. “Too much information Mags!” Adam called after her, Maggie’s only response a playful wave over her shoulder as she stepped out into the night.

Carolyn studied the group and smiled her ‘I’m the mom I’m in charge’ smile at Adam. “Adam, would you walk Olivia back to the house, I’d like to speak with your sister for a moment,” she stated, rather than asked, as she took her youngest by the hand and pulled her out of the barn.

Alex hazarded a quick glance over her shoulder at an equally confused Olivia before the door to the barn closed, effectively separating mother and daughter from the group. Once they were on the path back to the house Carolyn dropped Alex’s hand and set a brisk pace, the younger woman breaking into a quick jog to catch up.

“Mom?” Alex murmured as she hurried after her mother. “Is everything okay?”

Carolyn nodded but refused to answer, a part of her greatly enjoying the inner turmoil she knew she was throwing her youngest into.

Alex silently followed her mother inside the house and up the stairs to what was her parents’ bedroom suite. Carolyn indicated with a wave of her hand that she wished for Alex to have a seat in one of the club chairs surrounding the fireplace and Alex, still unsure as to what was going on, obediently followed the matriarch’s unspoken directions.

“Olivia is lovely dear,” Carolyn told her daughter as she dug through a chest of drawers. “Here it is,” she smiled as she turned to face her daughter, her fingers wrapped around an object hidden in her hand. “You know your father was very proud of you and your accomplishments, don’t you Alexandra?”

Alex nodded, biting her lip and frowning slightly at the direction the conversation seemed to be going.

“Did you know you were his favorite?” Carolyn asked. “I know parents are supposed to love their children equally, and we do, but you and he had a special connection – you were his shadow and he absolutely adored you.”

“I miss him,” Alex whispered, a tear tracing slowly down her cheek as she thought of her father.

“He would be proud of the woman you’ve become. He would have loved Olivia,” Carolyn smiled. “So I want you to have this, for when the time comes,” she held her hand out.

Alex automatically mimicked her mother’s action, her hand facing up to receive whatever it was that Carolyn was giving to her. When her mother’s hand withdrew she looked at what had been deposited in her palm. “Grandma’s wedding band,” she whispered as she traced the circumference of the ring, her fingertips running smoothly over the diamonds inlayed in the simple gold band. “Why are you giving this to me?”

“Before your father passed, he made me promise to give this ring to you when you brought home the woman you were going to marry. Now, I may be wrong in thinking that Olivia is that special person for you, but I somehow don’t think I am. So just keep this, and when the time is right it would make your father and I happy if she were to enter the family with an heirloom on her finger. Even if it is just for the engagement only,” she grinned, knowing her daughter’s fondness for shopping.

“What did she say to you?” Alex smiled.

“If she wishes to tell you then she may, but as far as I’m concerned our conversation was between us. And Maggie and Lindsay who were eavesdropping,” she smirked. “It doesn’t matter what she said Alex, what matters is that I believed every word of it. She’s a good woman, and she’ll be good for you – now and in the future. And, as I’m sure Adam is scaring her half to death, I recommend you go rescue her from your brother now.”

Alex nodded and wrapped her mother in a warm embrace. “Thank you mom,” she whispered. “I love you.”

“I love you too Alex,” Carolyn smiled as she squeezed her daughter tight. “Now go, I know you have better things to do than spend the evening with your mother,” she shooed Alex out of the room.

Alex nodded and carefully slipped the ring into the pocket of her warm-ups. She smiled back at her mother as she left, hurrying down the hall toward the stairs, anxious to find Olivia. She practically ran down hall to the kitchen from where she could hear the familiar clamor of dishes and laughter that indicated the after-game pie had been served. She immediately spotted Olivia perched on a stool at the island and wasted no time crossing the room to gather the brunette in her arms.

“Everything okay?” Olivia asked as she set her fork down to pull her lover into her lap.

Alex just buried her face in the crook of Olivia’s neck and nodded, squeezing the brunette tighter as she pressed their bodies together.

“Baby, are you sure?” Olivia murmured, concerned by the tears that were beginning to soak through her shirt.

“Yeah,” Alex smiled as she pressed a soft kiss to the column of Olivia’s throat. “I’m great. I love you Liv,” she whispered roughly as she stayed where she was, wrapped up in the arms of the woman she loved.

Olivia caught Adam’s eye over Alex’s shoulder and arched a brow questioningly. He just offered her a nod and a smile as he shrugged – indicating that while he didn’t know what was going on with his sister, he was sure it wasn’t anything to be concerned about.

“Alex honey, do you want any pie?” Olivia murmured as she ran her hands over the blonde’s back soothingly.

Alex shook her head no and squeezed Olivia tighter.

“Do you want to go upstairs?”

Alex nodded and pulled back, offering her concerned lover a gentle smile as she wiped her tears from her eyes.

“Okay,” Olivia stood and looked at Adam. “Just let me clean up this plate.”

“I got it,” Adam smiled. “Don’t worry about it. You two love birds run on ahead – but remember you aren’t the only ones in that wing of the house … okay?”

Alex slid her hand down Olivia’s arm to take the Detective’s hand in hers, automatically twining their fingers together, before reaching out to pull her brother into a one armed hug. “Thank you.”

“Eh,” he smiled as he hugged her back. “You look like you need her more than she needs pie. Just means more for me,” he joked. “Everything okay?” he asked quietly.

“Perfect,” Alex beamed as she looked from her brother to Olivia. “Absolutely perfect.”


	12. Chapter 12

Alex looked down at her naked lover spread across her childhood bed and grinned victoriously. “You are amazing,” she purred as she moved to straddle the waiting brunette. “Wonderful,” she kissed the hollow of Olivia’s throat. “Sweet,” she kissed a little higher. “Thoughtful,” she licked the point of the detective’s chin. “Drop dead fucking sexy,” she murmured with a grin as she moved in to claim Olivia’s lips with her own.

“Mmm,” Olivia moaned happily when Alex pulled back enough to catch her breath, realizing – and not for the first time – how incredibly turned on she got when Alex was in a mood like this. “Not that I’m complaining or anything, because I’m so not – but is there something that brought this on?”

Alex smirked and adjusted herself so that she was nestled between Olivia’s legs. “You,” she whispered throatily as she ground her hips into the brunette’s center earning a soft gasp of approval from her pinned lover, “won the full approval of the highly critical Carolyn Cabot,” she shared softly, her right hand gliding over the plane of Olivia’s chest to dance teasingly back and forth over the swell of a firm tanned breast.

Olivia rocked her hips up against Alex and smiled. “So, what does that mean?”

“That means,” Alex lowered her lips to Olivia’s, “that I really want you right now.”

Olivia’s smartass comment was lost on a sigh as Alex’s mouth claimed her own in a slow, purposeful, deliberate caress that conveyed with perfect clarity every ounce of emotion that she was feeling at the moment. Love. Desire. Contentment. Happiness. Lust. Need. Want.

Lots and lots of want.

Olivia whimpered slightly when she felt Alex pull away, her cry of protestation turning into a low throaty moan of approval as the blonde began laying hot wet kisses down her throat to her breasts. “Fuck, Alex,” she gasped as the blonde gathered an already erect nipple between her lips and sucked hungrily against it.

“Hmm?” Alex hummed questioningly, looking up at Olivia while she continued to suckle against the captured nipple.

The brunette groaned, arching off the bed into her lover’s mouth as she grunted, “Please.”

Alex let the nipple fall from her lips with a quiet _pop_ and smirked. “Please, what?”

“Need you,” Olivia moaned, rocking her hips against Alex’s stomach, the familiar pull low in her belly already making its presence known.

Alex held her lover’s gaze as she pushed herself up and ran an exploratory hand down trembling, quivering abs to slowly trace a line from one protruding hip bone to the other. Left then right, slowly, lightly tracing her fingers over toned quivering muscle. “Here?” she teased, her earlier desire to make love to Olivia slowly, thoroughly and exhaustively replaced with a need to do so in a less tender-romantic and more playful manner.

“Aaaaaalex,” Olivia whined, again lifting her hips toward her lover in a blind search for the pressure, the contact, the friction she so desperately needed.

“Here?” Alex quirked an eyebrow as she dipped the tip of her middle finger between Olivia’s dripping folds.

“Fuck yes,” Olivia groaned, her head falling back to the mattress as the blonde’s finger began lightly circling her opening.

Alex licked her lips and leaned in to capture the brunette’s left breast in her mouth as she pushed into her. She matched her thrusts to the long deep sucks she was delivering to the nipple between her lips, adding a second digit and curling her fingers to rub against the ribbed patch that never failed to make Olivia gasp and moan in pleasure. She kept her stroke random, the depth of each plunge and retreat varying from thrust to thrust as she abandoned the breast she’d been playing with to deliver similar attentions to its twin. She set a steady irregular rhythm, in and out slowly with a gentle flick of her tongue across the captured peak, a hard deep thrust with an even harder suck against the nipple between her lips. Fast and slow. Hard and soft. Never letting Olivia’s body regulate itself to a rhythm so that the brunette was pushed higher and higher, wound tighter and tighter, but was never given quite enough of anything to find her climax. Just more than enough to make her almost desperate to find it. A quick swipe of her thumb over the straining bundle of nerves at the apex of the brunette’s sex had Olivia moaning, a handful of purposefully directed thrusts and brushes against the detective’s clit had the walls of Olivia’s channel beginning to flutter around her fingers and she immediately stopped and removed her fingers, leaving Olivia right there on the edge.

Alex released the nipple she’d been playing with and looked up at Olivia, blue eyes smiling reassuringly into brown as she used her own body to keep Olivia in place, legs open and unable to find the contact needed to give the brunette her release. A quick pink tongue darted out to wet expectant lips as Alex purposefully set a hand on either side of Olivia’s head and leaned in to kiss the older woman, plunging her tongue inside Olivia’s mouth and playfully stroking against the brunette’s before retreating to her own mouth and capturing Olivia’s lower lip between her own. She sucked gently against the captured kiss swollen lip and nipped gently at it before finally breaking the kiss and pulling back with a smile.

“Alex,” Olivia whined pathetically as she felt her body steadily backing away from the release that had, moments ago, seemed imminent.

Alex smiled and kissed the writhing brunette again, her tongue slipping through lips that parted on a moan to stroke, massage and dance with Olivia’s as she ran one hand over the detective’s shoulder and down her side to stop at the brunette’s hip.

Olivia groaned as she felt Alex hold her hip down against the mattress so she couldn’t try and rock herself up into the blonde. “Alex,” she gasped before the rest of her thought was swallowed in a deep probing kiss that left her wondering what her name was, let alone whatever it was she was so damned anxious for in the first place. “Mmm,” she reached up and cradled the blonde’s face between her hands as she stared into sparkling blue eyes.

“I love you Liv,” Alex murmured, dropping one last kiss onto Olivia’s lips before she pulled back and slid down the detective’s body, letting skin slide against skin as she moved to settle herself between the brunette’s parted thighs. “So much,” she breathed, reaching up with her left hand to grasp Olivia’s right as she lowered her mouth to deliver the most intimate of kisses.

“Alex,” Olivia hissed at the contact, her earlier need resurfacing in an instant as Alex’s nimble tongue danced over her, swirling around her clit and winding her release back up with each tight spiral.

Alex hummed against Olivia’s sensitive point, knowing how much the brunette responded to the vibrations against her, before moving her attentions down to Olivia’s pulsing opening. She traced the perimeter of the seeking ring before pushing slowly inside, thrusting as deep as she could before pulling out and quickly repeating the movement, slowly fucking Olivia with her tongue.

Olivia moaned loudly as she felt Alex’s tongue enter her once again, her right hand tensing and relaxing around Alex’s left as her right hand moved to tangle itself into messy blonde silk, holding her lover where she needed her. She could feel the familiar burn low in her hips growing hotter, slowly, steadily hotter with each plunge and retreat. Progressively hotter until she could feel her muscles preparing to tense, her body right at that edge where only a few more thrusts of Alex’s wonderfully skillful tongue would be enough to drive her over the edge of the abyss.

And then that touch, that magical, wonderful touch was gone.

“Fuck, Alex,” Olivia groaned as the blonde pulled away from her throbbing center to press soft adoring, undeniably teasing kisses to first her left inner thigh and then her right.

Alex smiled to herself at Olivia’s pleading. She knew what the brunette wanted, she knew what the brunette needed, but that didn’t mean she was going to give it to her right away. “Is there something you need Baby?” she murmured as she looked up her lover’s torso into smoldering mahogany eyes.

Olivia growled low in her throat and rocked her hips up toward the taunting blonde’s mouth; her head knowing that she wanted, needed, fucking needed the release that was being held just out of reach while her body was again backing away from the precipice, further and further away with every moment spent in silent conversation. Brown eyes demanding their climax and blue taunting, teasing with their promise of delivering.

Realizing now the game the blonde was playing, Olivia knew she was simply along for the ride. But that didn’t mean she had to play by Alex’s rules. Still holding Alex’s gaze steady, she untangled her hand from the blondes and slid it over her stomach toward her center.

“I don’t think so,” Alex smiled as she caught the wandering hand and lifted it to her lips. “What do you think you’re doing?” she asked lightly as she took the captured index finger into her mouth, sucking against it hard and running her tongue around it.

“You’re a tease,” Olivia groaned as she felt her finger scrape over Alex’s teeth as the blonde pulled it from her mouth, finally letting it go completely with a wet _pop_.

“I am?” Alex smirked playfully as she dropped her chin and quickly flicked her tongue over Olivia’s straining clit.

“Fuck! Yes. You are,” Olivia nodded.

“No,” Alex shook her head, her eyes twinkling with laughter as she delivered another feather light flick of her tongue across the brunette’s sensitive point. “I don’t think I am.”

“Ooooh,” Olivia groaned at the slow pulse of pleasure that rolled through her. “Yes, you are.”

Alex smiled and sat up on her heels, still nestled between her lover’s legs. Enjoying the playful banter. Enjoying the sight of Olivia’s flushed cheeks and desire blown pupils. Enjoying more than anything the way Olivia – guarded, protective, normally restrained Olivia – was allowing herself to remain open and vulnerable. “No,” she shook her head slightly for emphasis as she moved her right hand over the brunette’s sex. “I don’t think I am,” she argued playfully as she lightly pushed two fingers inside to the first knuckle.

“God!” Olivia yelled.

“Alex is fine,” Alex smirked as she pushed in as far as she could and rocked the heel of her palm against Olivia’s clit.

“Allllllllllllllllllex,” Olivia groaned as her hips lifted to pull the blonde’s fingers in deeper.

Alex licked her lips as she pulled out, quickly moving a third finger into position as she drove back in. “God you’re so tight,” she moaned appreciatively as she began to pump in earnest, setting a steady rhythm in and out of the brunette, finishing each thrust with a smack of her palm against Olivia’s clit. “You feel so good,” she purred as she shifted herself to hover above the brunette, balancing her weight on her left forearm as she leaned in to trace the tip of her tongue around a fully engorged nipple.

“Fuck, Alex,” Olivia grunted when the blonde bit down gently on her nipple, her hips working counterpoint to the blonde’s thrusts, drawing the invading digits deeper with each push. “God yes,” she encouraged throatily when she felt the tips of the fingers inside her curl and brush over her spot. “Alex. God. Yes. Fuck. So good. Alex,” she chanted after each thrust, her voice growing louder and louder as she raced closer and closer to the edge.

Alex could tell from the pitch and tenor of the brunette’s cries that she was indeed close and she stalled for a moment as she waged a quick mental war with herself which basically boiled down to: _do I let her come or do I back her off again?_

Feeling her lover’s stroke falter Olivia’s eyes snapped up to focus on Alex’s introspective blue ones and she could easily read the thoughts bouncing around her lover’s mind. And she knew which thought she wanted to win. “So close,” she growled, rocking her hips up hard into the blonde’s fingers. “Make me come Alex,” she ordered as she pumped herself on those fingers which began to curl and scissor inside her. “Fuck yes,” she moaned at the stretch.

“God you’re beautiful,” Alex moaned as she gave in to the brunette’s wish and began thrusting again. “And you’re mine,” she shifted her hips so she could use them to help her drive herself deeper.

“Yours,” Olivia agreed as the pace and force of the blonde’s thrusts increased. Faster and faster. Harder and harder. Each thrust punctuated by a slap of Alex’s palm against her clit. So close. She was so close. “Alex,” she moaned as she felt the blonde’s mouth envelop her right nipple, her moan shattering into a scream of pleasure as Alex sucked hungrily against her and the blonde’s palm rocked in firm tight circles against her clit, the dual assault giving her the final push she needed as she was thrown headlong into her release.

Alex gasped in surprise at the force of Olivia’s orgasm, at the powerful crush of constricting muscles against her hand. When the muscles holding her fingers in place relaxed enough to allow movement she began to stroke her lover slowly, encouraging the waves of pleasure to continue, trying to draw out Olivia’s release for as long as possible. When the last spasm left the brunette she gently removed her fingers and wiped them off on the sheet as she moved to cradle the spent woman in her arms.

Olivia came back to the world to the comfort of Alex’s deceptively strong arms wrapped around her and the blonde’s silky soft lips pressing tender adoring kisses to her rapidly cooling skin. “You were trying to make me pass out, weren’t you?” she husked as she turned in her lover’s arms to capture her smiling lips in a deep, searing kiss.

“Maybe,” Alex sing-songed, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “Is it bad that I like knowing that I have left you completely satisfied?”

“Mmm,” Olivia hummed as she kissed Alex again. “Not at all. But you do this to me and then I can’t return the favor.”

Alex blushed and looked down as she moved to lay her head down on Olivia’s chest. “You don’t need to worry about that,” she murmured. “I get just as much satisfaction out of giving you pleasure as you do receiving it,” she tilted her head up so she could see if Olivia truly understood what she was saying.

“Oh,” Olivia yawned. “But that still doesn’t mean that I won’t have my turn.”

“In the morning?” Alex offered with a knowing smile as she pulled the blanket up over their bodies. She might not have succeeded in sending Olivia into a sex coma, but she’d definitely worn the brunette out to the point that she was going to need a decent amount of time to recover.

Olivia yawned again and nodded. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Alex assured her as she snuggled in closer to her lover. “I love you Liv.”

“Love you too Sweetheart,” Olivia murmured sleepily as she dropped a soft kiss to the top of the blonde’s head.


	13. Chapter 13

Olivia glanced reflexively over at the alarm clock on the bedside table when she awoke, surprised to find that it was already after seven and that Alex was still sleeping. Never mind the fact that she had just woken up. Their internal clocks usually had both women up and about by six thirty at the latest, and her best guess gave blame for the lie in to the emotional, and sexual, exhaustion from the day before.

She watched as Alex murmured softly in her sleep and shifted, rolling over onto her back and causing the sheet that had been secured around her torso to slip down to her waist leaving her breasts on display. A small smile tweaked her lips as she let her gaze caress the mounds and she licked her lips as her eyes zeroed in on the blonde’s rosy pink nipples. She flicked her attention back up to the face of her slumbering lover before shifting to lean in and lightly trace the perimeter of a semi-flaccid nipple, wetting the sensitive flesh slightly before puckering her lips to blow gently over the damp skin and causing a small shudder to roll through Alex as the blonde gasped appreciatively, still trapped in the land of dreams.

Olivia smirked as a tentative flick of her tongue over the tip of the hardening nipple caused Alex to moan softly, a small sympathetic moan falling from her own lips as her own nipples tightened as well. She balanced her weight carefully on either side of Alex’s body and leaned in to fully capture the breast she’d been playing with between her lips, the wet heat and gentle suction of her mouth against the captured nipple causing Alex to come fully awake with a throaty moan as she tangled her fingers into the brunette’s hair and held her lover to her breast.

“Good morning to you,” Alex rasped as she delighted in the feeling of Olivia’s mouth on her.

Olivia smiled against soft flesh but chose not to respond to the blonde’s salutation verbally, instead opting to nip gently against the captured bud before soothing the injury with a gentle sweep of her tongue. She pulled back to blow softly over the sensitive point, her smile growing larger and more satisfied at the husky moan the gesture elicited from her lover.

She shifted her body over Alex so that her hips were cradled between the blonde’s legs and leaned in to capture Alex’s smiling lips in a passionate good morning kiss.

“Mmm,” Alex hummed when Olivia broke from the kiss and began laying soft kisses down the line of her jaw towards her ear. “I think I’m going to go back to sleep now so you can wake me up like that again.”

Olivia chuckled softly as she gathered the blonde’s earlobe between her teeth and gave it a teasing tug before releasing it and moving her lips to the shell of Alex’s ear. “But if you go back to sleep then I can’t do what I’ve been thinking about doing to you,” she murmured, nuzzling her cheek against Alex’s as she ran a hand down the blonde’s side.

Alex’s tongue darted out to wet her lips at the brunette’s smoky words. “And what, exactly, were you thinking about doing to me, Detective?”

Olivia chuckled and leaned in to whisper, “I want to, as you said last night, return the favor. I want to taste you. I want to feel you pulsing under my tongue, trembling around my fingers,” she husked, grinding her hips into her lover. “I want to hear you screaming my name as you come undone.”

 _Oh dear Lord that does sound good._ “As … uhm,” Alex squirmed, her body already that much closer to the edge from the brunette’s words. “As fun, uh, as fun as that sounds …,” she struggled for words as Olivia’s hips rolled into her again and the brunette began laying hot wet kisses down her neck. “We need to be quiet – we’re not the only ones up here.”

Olivia smirked against the blonde’s collarbone as she replied, “Not my problem. You will just have to try and be quiet then.”

“But Liv,” Alex moaned at the feeling of teeth raking over her clavicle. “Oh God that feels so good.”

“Shh,” Olivia teased as she ran the tip of her tongue around the nipple she’d previously ignored. “You need to be quiet,” she reminded her lover before she gathered the waiting nipple between her lips and sucked hungrily against it, earning a strangled cry of pleasure from the blonde as she fought to remain silent.

“Fuck,” Alex hissed at the electric sensations rolling through her as Olivia played at her breast. “Fuck. Liv. Ooooooh yes,” she moaned as dull teeth bit down against the point.

Olivia smirked and pulled back to begin placing soft kisses down Alex’s stomach, raking her fingertips down the blonde’s sides as she slid lower and lower. She settled herself between her lover’s legs and leaned in to run a slow exploratory lick through Alex’s folds, purposefully allowing a deep moan to rumble in her chest as she teased the base of the sensitive bundle at the top of the blonde’s sex.

Alex moaned and lifted her right hand to cover her mouth when Olivia’s mouth surrounded her clit and the brunette sucked softly against it. Alex’s eyes crossed as she fought to keep quiet, strangled gasps, moans and whimpers muffled by her hand at her mouth as Olivia skillfully teased her with gentle sucks, soft quick flicks and broad languid licks against the throbbing bundle of nerves.

Olivia could feel the way Alex was literally fighting for control and smiled deviously to herself as she twirled her tongue around the sensitive nub in a specific pattern that never failed to make the blonde scream.

“Oh fuck,” Alex yelped, her body curling in on itself as her hands reflexively moved to cradle Olivia’s head between her legs and hold it in place. “Oh God. Liv, fuck,” she moaned loudly as Olivia repeated the swirl and twirl motion with just the right amount of pressure. “Ooooooh Baby,” Alex moaned loudly, her already curved body crunching spastically. “Fuck. Right there, Liv, don’t stop,” she gasped, her grip on the brunette’s head tightening. “So good, so fucking good.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Out in the hall Jill turned to look at the wall with a devilish grin on her lips. “No way,” she murmured.

 _“Fuck yes Liv … oh God … so good Baby,”_ Alex’s voice, muffled but still definitely audible, chanted.

Jill grinned and hurried around the hall, knocking on doors and pulling the cousins who answered out into the hall to listen with her. In no time at all she had basically the entire clan assembled in the hall outside Alex’s room.

“Should we knock on the wall and let them know we can hear them?” Lindsay wondered aloud after a particularly loud _‘fuck’_ from Alex carried out into the hall.

“Now where’s the fun in that?” Jake and John asked simultaneously.

Lindsay looked to Adam but he just smiled and shrugged. “They knew we were all up here – it’s fair game. Cabot rules of combat number fourteen B.”

“Seriously?” Lindsay asked. “You lot have no boundaries, do you?”

 _“No no no no no,”_ Alex’s voice pleaded desperately. _“Liv, no … don’t stop … Baby, please.”_

Bryan chuckled and sat down in the hall. “Not when it comes to each other. Remember Mandy’s first family holiday? Alex made an audio recording of us and ‘accidently’ let it play during dinner.”

“Heh,” Jill laughed as she sat down against the far wall. “Yeah – that was pretty funny.”

“Almost as funny as when we caught you with Luke what’s-his-name’s hand up your shirt in the game room,” Adam chuckled. “God, that poor schmuck was mortified!”

_“Oh yes! Fuck! God, I love you! Right there Baby!”_

“Well, sounds like Olivia’s taken pity on her,” Andy drawled as she joined the group. “How long have they been at it?”

“We’ve been out here for ten minutes or so,” Jill told her.

_“So close Liv. Mmmm, fuck!”_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Shhh,” Olivia chuckled as she looked up at her lover. “You gotta be quiet Alex.”

“Fuck,” Alex groaned as she twisted her hands in the sheets and lifted her hips to her lover’s smiling lips. So close, she was so close. “Liv, please.”

“Liv please what?”

“Liiiiiiiiiiv,” Alex whined.

“Aaaaaaaalex,” Olivia teased.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“They’ve gotten quiet,” Bryn observed, cocking her head as she listened to the silence.

“Well we all know Alex didn’t come yet,” Jill noted. “Not with the amount of noise she was making before – there’s no way she’d be able to keep that quiet.”

“This is so wrong,” Lindsay muttered as she hid her face in her hands.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Olivia placed a soft kiss to the inside of Alex’s thigh, causing the blonde to twitch under her lips. “Just tell me what you want Baby,” she murmured, resting her chin on Alex’s leg.

“Dammit Liv,” Alex swore, her pride finally giving way to her need. “Just … make me come already!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_“Just … make me come already!”_

“Oh, here we go,” Bryan chuckled as he dug his phone out of his pocked and pulled up the voice recorder app. “Paybacks Alex,” he grinned.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Now, was that so hard?” Olivia smirked as she lowered her mouth to Alex’s throbbing clit and efficiently gathered it between her lips sucking against the nub as she slid two fingers into hot wet velvet.

“Oh fuck!” Alex gasped.

“Baby, you really need to be quiet,” Olivia reminded the blonde as she curled her fingers and massaged the top of the blonde’s channel.

“Oh god,” Alex groaned. “Fuck, Liv … so good … right there … Liv … oh! Love you … fuck … mmmmmm.”

“Shh,” Olivia laughed as she worked the blonde closer and closer to the edge.

“Oh fuck … yesssssss, Baby … mmmm … just like that ….,” Alex chanted, lost to her own growing need.

As Alex’s pleading senseless ramblings grew louder and louder Olivia gave up on the blonde regulating her own volume and moved to take her lover’s lips in a deep, searing kiss, effectively swallowing any further sounds that might have carried beyond the walls of their bedroom.

“Oh god,” Alex gasped, turning her head to the side to breathe as she broke the kiss.

Olivia could feel the walls of Alex’s channel beginning to tighten around her fingers and she added her thumb to the mix, pressing firm circles into the blonde’s clit as she quickly stroked her lover over the edge.

“Oh fuck! Yes! Ooooolivia!” Alex moaned as her orgasm exploded through her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_“Oh fuck! Yes! Ooooolivia!”_

“There we go,” Bryan muttered with a grin, double checking the display on his phone to make sure it was still recording as Alex’s final scream spilled forth.

“Impressive,” Adam chuckled.

“I feel like we should clap or something,” Jake noted.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Jill chuckled. “On three?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 _“WOOOOOHOOOO YEAH! YOU GO GIRLS!”_ the sounds of clapping and cheering effectively popped the post coital bubble Alex and Olivia were cocooned in.

“Oh fuck,” Alex blushed and buried her face in the crook of Olivia’s neck.

_“OLIVIA, YOU’RE A STUD!!!”_

_“ENCORE! ENCORE!”_

“I don’t know if I should be proud or embarrassed right now,” Olivia chuckled.

“I’m going with mortally embarrassed,” Alex muttered as she buried her head under a pillow in an attempt to drown out the cheering. She knew that it would be quite a while before her cousins let her live this little performance down.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Olivia pulled her polo shirt over her head and glanced through the open door into the bathroom where Alex was brushing her teeth, a small smile tweaking her lips as she replayed their morning encounter. Now that the shock of hearing the Cabot cousins cheering them on had worn off she was left with a surprising laissez faire attitude about it all. Of course, if she was the one who’s screams had prompted the clapping and cheering she might have a different view of it all.

Something closer to the absolute mortification that Alex was experiencing.

“Wipe that smug grin off your face Benson,” Alex grumbled as she sashayed out of the bathroom. “You could have the decency to look at least a little embarrassed about the fact that my family not only heard us having sex but also applauded the performance and requested an encore.”

“I told you that you needed to keep quiet,” Olivia chuckled. “You knew you needed to keep quiet.”

“But you know that it is impossible for me to be quiet!” Alex stomped her foot.

“You never told me to stop,” Olivia informed her blushing lover with a grin. “If you’d said ‘stop’ I would have stopped. But you didn’t.”

“It was coercion,” Alex grumbled.

“I don’t think so, Counselor,” Olivia smiled and wrapped her arms around the petulant blonde. “The evidence clearly suggests otherwise. You enjoyed every minute of it,” she murmured against Alex’s lips. “Admit it.”

“I will do no such thing.”

Olivia smirked and lifted her lips to Alex’s. “You didn’t enjoy yourself?” she teased, lightly brushing her lips against the blonde’s.

“You’re proving my case for coercion, Detective,” Alex smiled.

“So sue me.”

“How in the world can you be so nonchalant about this?!” Alex demanded.

Olivia cocked her head inquisitively as she stared at the woman in her arms. “Is freaking out about it going to make your family back off and not tease us mercilessly about the fact that they heard us having sex?”

Alex shook her head. “No.”

“So why bother? It happened. They heard. End of story. You said last night that I’ve earned your mom’s full approval, I think she knew we were having sex before we got here because you know Maggie didn’t keep the donuts or balloons a secret. I don’t think the fact that they all applauded your vocal performance will matter in the least.”

“You’d be more embarrassed if it was your vocal performance they were applauding.”

“Possibly,” Olivia shrugged. “But I just look at it this way – your family is a lot like the guys at the precinct, the more they tease, the more they care. So, if this is what it takes to get accepted into your family, then this is what it takes.”

“How can you take something so completely mortifying and make it sound romantic?”

“It’s a skill,” Olivia chuckled.

“Can I ask you a question?” Alex asked as she backed out of her lover’s arms and sat down on the bench at the foot of the bed.

“You just did,” Olivia smirked.

“Ba-dum-dum,” Alex grumbled. “Seriously,” she waited until Olivia nodded and sat down next to her before continuing. “What did you tell my mother last night?”

Olivia sighed and ran her hands through her hair. “Do you really need to ask my intentions toward you?” she frowned, turning on her perch to stare into Alex’s suddenly unsure eyes.

Alex shrugged. “Not really. So, that’s what you two talked about?”

Olivia studied Alex’s pensive expression and downturned eyes and knew that something was weighing on the blonde’s mind – other than the fact that they’d been overheard during their morning romp. “I told her that I love you,” Olivia murmured, reaching out and tucking a finger under Alex’s chin to lift the blonde’s face to hers. “I told her that I want forever with you, however you’d be willing to spend it with me.”

“You did?”

“I’ve told you this before Alex,” Olivia smiled, a small huff of disbelief tumbling over her lips. “You are it for me. I honestly can’t picture my life without you in it.”

“I feel that way too,” Alex whispered.

“I know Sweetie,” Olivia smiled. “You’ve told me. Do you really think I’d submit myself to the mercy of the mob out there without knowing that? What’s going on in that beautiful brain of yours right now?”

“I just …,” Alex blew out a loud breath and fell back onto the edge of the bed. She stared at the ceiling as she tried to figure out what the hell was going on inside her head. It was a jumbled up mess of conflicting emotions – embarrassment about what had happened, first and foremost, but also the thought of the ring her mother had passed on to her and the excitement, anticipation, and hope for a real future with Olivia that went along with it. Really, that’s what it all came down to. Olivia. Wanting a future with Olivia. And that meant that there were steps that would need to be taken to do it properly. “Move in with me?”

Olivia looked down at the blonde and asked, “What?”

Alex sat up and looked at her lover, really looked at her as she repeated herself. “Will you move in with me?”

“You’re serious?”

“As a heart-attack. Liv, I love you and I want to fall asleep in your arms and be woken up by your cell in the middle of the night when you get called out to a scene. I want you with me.”

“Alex, Baby, I can’t afford even half the rent on a place like yours,” Olivia mumbled.

“Actually,” Alex smirked. “You can. Half of nothing is nothing. I own the apartment. There are just the maintenance costs every month on it.”

“You own that place?”

“Mmm,” Alex nodded.

A small smile tweaked the corners of Olivia’s mouth as she looked at Alex. “You want me to move in with you.”

“I do,” Alex nodded. “Really, I do.”

“Will you let me help with expenses?”

“If you want to. It’s not necessary, but it wouldn’t be a problem. Liv, I know your independence is important to you and I’m not looking to take that away from you. I just want to be where you are. I want you to be with me. Hell, if it’d make you more comfortable we can sell my place and look for something together. Or I can sell my place and move in with you … I mean, if that’s what you wanted. I’m not just inviting myself in to live with you.”

“You’re adorable,” Olivia smiled. “Ridiculous, but adorable. I can’t make you sell your place to move into my tiny little apartment. If you’re sure that this is what you want, of course I will move in with you Alex.”

“You will?”

“Geez, what’s with the insecurities this morning?” Olivia chuckled. “Yes. Provided you let me contribute to some of the living expenditures, I would like nothing more than to move in with you. Start the next phase of our lives together,” she added, almost as an afterthought.

“So we’re U-hauling?”

“Eh, at least we made it past the second date,” Olivia leaned in and kissed Alex tenderly. “I love you Alexandra Cabot.”

“I love you too Olivia Benson,” Alex smiled as she reached up and cradled the detective’s face between her palms. “More than I ever thought possible.”

“Mmm,” Olivia murmured as she pulled Alex onto her lap and captured the blonde’s lips in a soft adoring kiss. “I love you,” she whispered, nuzzling Alex’s cheek with her nose and laughing softly when her stomach rumbled. “I think it’s time to go downstairs and face the firing squad.”

“Don’t wanna,” Alex mumbled.

“You’re going to have to face them eventually Sweetie,” Olivia smiled. “Come on,” she stood and held her hand out for Alex. “I promise I won’t leave your side the entire time.”

“Promise?”

“You’re adorable,” Olivia noted as her stomach rumbled again. “Now … put your game face on Cabot and let’s go. Sex and serious conversations make me hungry, let’s get moving!”

 


	14. Chapter 14

Bryan looked up from his plate full of French toast, eggs and sausage with to watch his sister who was ignoring the breakfast spread and instead standing at the island with reams of tinfoil spread out in front of her. “What are you going to do with that Bryn?” he asked as she began methodically folding the first piece in on itself.

“A performance like that one,” she waived a hand at the ceiling to indicate the undeniably intimate moment they’d overheard, “deserves some sort of award, don’t you think? I’m making a trophy. She needs a trophy.”

Jill laughed and set her coffee cup down on the table as she draped her arm over the back of Lindsay’s chair so she could turn to watch the craftiness happening behind her. “Who is getting the trophy though – Alex for the vocal performance, or Liv for inspiring it?”

“Good question,” Bryn nodded as she dropped the piece she’d been working on. “I was thinking Olivia – you know, like a ‘welcome to the family we’re going to absolutely humiliate you now’ kind of a thing … do you think it’d be better for Alex?”

Jill shrugged. “I was thinking it’d be funnier to give it to Olivia since she did such a bang up job … okay that sounded way dirtier than I’d meant it to … but I dunno. Adam, you’re the rule keeper – what do you think?”

“Wait, he wasn’t kidding when he said something about rule nineteen G?” Lindsay asked.

Adam laughed. “Actually, what you just witnessed was the implementation of rule fourteen B. That any sexual activities overheard by a cousin of the Clan Cabot is fair game for humiliation and relentless torture. Section A restricts the use of video and/or still camera photography if a cousin is caught ‘in the act’,” he explained using little air finger quotes, “and C outlines what constitutes appropriate retaliation to any teasing received due to said sexual performances.”

Lindsay arched a brow, not believing that the family actually had agreed upon rules, and asked, “What’s rule three?”

“No putting worms into beds,” Bryan replied, smiling at Lindsay’s complete confusion as to how the cousins’ ‘rules’ could fluctuate from something so adult to so completely childish. “We started the rules when we were kids and just kept adding to them.”

“Do I want to know why that rule was invented?”

Jill shuddered. “Jake and John thought they were being funny one year – but they weren’t. I got them back by putting hair dye into their shampoo and they both ended up with bright pink hair.”

“Yeah,” Jake grinned. “Which led to rule number four – no tampering with hair products. We couldn’t get the dye to wash out so we were pink for a month!”

“Your mom didn’t take you and have your hair dyed back to its regular color?”

Jill laughed. “Nope. She said they deserved it for filling my bed with worms and wouldn’t let them near a salon. Best part was that they each got a week’s worth of detention at school for breaking the dress code.”

“I see,” Lindsay drawled. “So what’s rule number one?”

The entire group of cousins responded, “That while it is permissible as cousins of Clan Cabot to tease and torture one another mercilessly, we will stand up as a group if any outsider tries to torment one of us.”

“We’re a loyal bunch,” Adam winked. “A little rough with each other, but we take care of our own.”

“Yeah, like when Alex had that creepy stalker chick harassing her at Yale,” Andy groaned.

“She backed off when Adam and Bryan went and talked to her though,” Bryn reminded them all.

“Alex should have never given that crazy redhead her phone number,” Adam shook his head. “She was cert-i-fiable,” he made a circular motion around his ear to indicate that the girl was completely nutso.

“Rule number twelve?” Lindsay asked, growing more and more curious as to what she was getting herself in to.

“No drinking games involving knives or other similarly sharp objects,” Jake laughed.

“Do I want to know?” Lindsay whispered to Jill.

“Well, the knives part of the rule comes from … you know that game where you put your feet shoulder width apart and then fling a knife down into the ground between them – moving your feet incrementally closer together after each throw?”

Lindsay’s jaw dropped as she shook her head no.

“Really?” Adam asked.

“Wow, you need to hang out with your cousin more,” Jake grinned. “Abbie’s the one who taught us that one! Well, she taught Adam when he was visiting Alex and then he taught us,” he clarified.

“Okay,” Jill scowled at her brother. “Back to the explanation. We were playing the knife flinging game and doing shots of tequila ….”

“We gotta get Alex drunk on tequila this weekend to watch her try and get into Olivia’s pants,” Bryn interrupted with an evil laugh and the rest of the cousins grinned and nodded.

“Alex gets a little horny when she drinks tequila,” Jill explained. “It’s actually rather amusing. Anywho, as I was saying, we were playing the knife game and drinking shots of Petron when genius here,” she waved at Bryan who blushed and waved, “screwed up his shot and totally stabbed himself in the foot.”

Lindsay’s fork full of eggs stopped halfway to her mouth and her brow furrowed as she appraised the well dressed, obviously successful man at the other end of the table. “Ouch.”

“Yeah,” he chuckled. “Worse was that when Dad stitched me up he refused to numb my foot because he thought I’d been a dumbass chucking a knife at my feet.”

“Nah – you were just the dumbass who hit his foot,” Adam grinned.

“That too,” Bryan nodded in agreement as he took a sip of his coffee.

Lindsay finally took the bite of her eggs that had been hovering in midair, nodding slowly as she chewed and processed the information. “Okay, so what’s the ‘similarly sharp objects’ part of the rule refer to?”

“Swords,” Jill replied seriously. “Bad things happen when you sword fight drunk.”

“Oh. My. God. Who?” Lindsay couldn’t help asking.

“Alex got Adam across the shoulder with an uncapped foil,” Andy laughed.

“Not funny,” Adam pouted playfully. “That sonofabitch hurt!”

“You knew she won all those fencing tournaments – why the hell would you agree to fight her without protection?”

“Because I was freaking drunk!” Adam replied exasperatedly and the rest of the cousins nodded in understanding – Adam had a tendancy to do really stupid shit when he was drunk.

“Okay, two things,” Lindsay held her hands up as she tried to understand. “First – why wasn’t the sword capped? And two, what prompted the duel?”

“The foils weren’t capped because the rocket surgeon here,” Bryn threw a wadded up piece of foil at her cousin. “Decided that having them tipped wasn’t _manly_ enough.”

“Hey! We can’t all be aeronautical engineers,” Adam shot back playfully. “Just because you went to MIT you think you’re soooooo smaht,” he stressed the ‘ah’ sound in true Bostonian fashion. “Anyways, we dueled because Alex thought I was making fun of her at-the-time girlfriend.”

“Why would she think that?”

Adam smirked and tugged on the sleeves of his shirt. “I may have referred to her as a dumb blonde whose only redeeming qualities could be measured as a double D.”

“She really was an idiot,” Jill chuckled. “But, the girl had some knockers.”

“Eh,” Bryn laughed. “We all had our purely physical flings in college.”

“Yeah,” John nodded. “But that chick was by far the most intellectually challenged of all of them,” he noted and the rest of the cousins nodded their agreement.

“Not that this isn’t a fun conversation,” Bryn interrupted the group’s trip down their own memory lane. “But back to the original topic at hand. Who gets the award? Alex or Olivia?”

“Let’s vote on it,” Adam offered. “All in favor of giving the award to Olivia, raise your hand,” he counted the hands in the air and nodded. “And Alex?” he counted again. “Lindsay – you didn’t vote. You don’t want in on this?”

Lindsay shook her head no and held her hand up, palms out to indicate that she really wanted nothing to do with the whole thing.

“Alright,” Adam nodded. “Then, there you go,” he tilted his head at Bryn. “Alex, seven to five.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Olivia grinned as she tugged at Alex’s hand, forcing the reluctant blonde down the last handful of steps to the kitchen. “Alexandra Cabot,” she chided. “Let’s go. I’m hungry, and I’m not going in there without you.”

Alex took a deep breath and sighed, silently nodding as she rounded the corner into the kitchen. She immediately spied Bryn at the island fiddling with something she couldn’t see because her cousin’s back was to the door, and the rest of the group lounging around the table with half-finished plates of food in front of them.

“Hey!” Jake called out with a malevolent grin on his face when he spotted the pair. “Look who’s here!”

Alex blushed, her grip on Olivia’s hand tightening as every cousin turned to look at them. She smiled tightly and squared her shoulders, slipping into her prosecutor mode before addressing the group. “Good morning,” she replied, purposefully keeping her pace controlled as she crossed the kitchen to fix herself a plate.

Olivia smiled as she finally realized what Alex had meant when the blonde had said that they ‘raise lawyers in this family’ – staring down Petrovsky was nothing compared to facing this group – and followed Alex to the spread, filling her own plate with heaps of eggs, French toast, bacon and sausage before making her way to the table and sitting down in the empty chair across from Lindsay. “Hiya,” she smirked at the group as she reached for the carafe of coffee in the middle of the table and filled her coffee cup.

Bryan chuckled and stood up to lean across the table and chuck Olivia in the shoulder. “You stud you!”

Olivia blushed and looked down at her plate, deciding that in order to protect her girlfriend’s modesty it’d be best to no respond. If this is what they had in mind for teasing, then she would be just fine.

Alex kept her eyes on her plate as she lowered herself into the chair next to Olivia and caught her brother’s eye as she reached for the coffee carafe. “What?” she asked him, her voice more than a little defensive.

Adam just shook his head and laughed, looking up to Bryn who nodded and turned to address the group.

“Well, as that was perhaps the single greatest vocal performance in the history of Casa Cabot,” Bryn chuckled as she made her way to stand next to the table with her hands firmly behind her back. “Greater than then night of ‘Oh Bryan’,” she winked at her brother, “and the afternoon of ‘who’s your daddy?’,” she smirked at Adam who grinned and pointed his thumbs at his chest as he mouthed _I’m the daddy_. “We, the cousins of Clan Cabot, have decided that you deserve some special recognition. So, on behalf of the cousins – I’d like to present to you,” she moved her hands out from behind her back to reveal a gigantic foil ‘O’. “The Big O.”

“WOOHOO!” the table erupted in raucous cheers and even Olivia blushed at the idea of Alex being given ‘an award’ for having a particularly loud orgasm. “YEAH!”

“OLIVIA, YOU’RE MY HERO!” Bryan laughed.

“Olivia,” Kim, John’s wife, smiled at the blushing detective. “Do you think you can give my husband some pointers … it’s been a while since he’s made me scream like that.”

“OOOOOOOH!” the group erupted into another wave of laughter as John glared at his wife and Olivia’s blush deepened.

“SPEECH! SPEECH!” Jake and Adam chanted, banging their hands on the table and rattling the china as Alex stood to receive her tinfoil award.

Alex scowled at her cousins, but the rest of the group joined in with the chant and she knew that she was going to have to step up and deal with it. “Alright,” she laughed as she held the ‘award’ up for inspection. “I do have to say that this is the first award I’ve ever gotten for having sex,” she chuckled and was rewarded with peals of laughter and clapping from her family. “And, while I do appreciate the recognition,” she straightened her posture and squared her shoulders, “none of this would be possible without my loving, adoring girlfriend Olivia … who not only apparently gave me an amazing enough orgasm to warrant such a priceless award,” she held the tinfoil O aloft.

Adam grinned and yelled, “OLIVIA’S A STUD!”

“She also earned the full approval of Carolyn Cabot,” the group erupted into more cheers and the spouses all stood to high five Olivia. “So, um, yeah. I guess that’s it,” Alex finished as she sat back down in her chair. “Thank you all for your somewhat frightening appreciation of our sex life.”

“You knew we were up there,” Bryan laughed as he pulled out his phone and Alex’s cries of pleasure echoed through the kitchen, causing the ADA to blush furiously and the rest of the cousins to laugh hysterically. Olivia, for her part, was torn between wanting to laugh and complete and utter embarrassment, so she just kept her eyes on her plate and focused on her breakfast.

Alex looked at her brother. “Rule fourteen B?”

“Rule fourteen B,” Adam nodded with a grin before he raised his voice to carry over the clamor. “Now – for as fun as this is,” he held his hands up to quiet the group. “There is yet another award that needs to be handed out this morning.”

The room grew quiet as everybody turned their attention to Adam who was grinning and holding up a ‘I’ll be right back’ finger as he backed out of the kitchen.

“Where’s he going?” Jill asked, suddenly wary of the situation.

“Dunno,” Bryan shrugged, shoveling another forkful of French toast into his mouth.

“Okay,” Adam announced as he strode back into the kitchen with a box wrapped in bright rainbow striped wrapping paper in his hands. “So, Lindsay Boxer, this is for you – courtesy of the gay and lesbian community,” he handed the package over to Jill’s stunned girlfriend.

“Do I open it now?” Lindsay asked as she hefted the box to try and guess what was inside. There was a faintly metallic tingle, but nothing that really gave away what was inside.

Adam nodded. “Yup.”

Lindsay looked to Jill for confirmation that she should open it, which Jill gave with a halfhearted shrug and a grin. “Go for it,” she told her.

“Okeydokey,” Lindsay muttered as she tore open the paper to reveal a Cuisinart toaster. “A toaster?”

The table blew up. Even Alex and Olivia laughed at Adam’s little prank. “You converted Jilly,” Adam explained through his laughter. “So you get a toaster.”

“It’s a joke,” Alex explained as she watched the Inspector frown at the box in her hands. “Back in the day there were people who were claiming that gays would try to ‘convert’ the rest of the population so the gay community took the idea and ran with it – making the whole thing into a game where for every straight person ‘converted’, the converter got a toaster.”

“Where’s my toaster then?” Jill demanded with a grin, playfully crossing her arms over her chest and staring her cousin down.

Adam grinned and held up his ‘I’ll be right back’ finger as he once again disappeared into the hall before returning with another box wrapped in identical rainbow-themed paper. “I wasn’t sure about Lindsay, so I didn’t want to presume,” he explained as he handed the box over to his laughing cousin.

Jill opened the package and looked up at Adam with confusion clearly evident on her face. “A blender?”

“I figured it was a small appliance,” Adam shrugged. “Really, why in the world would you need two toasters?” he asked and Jill shrugged and nodded her understanding, thinking that it was actually quite inventive of him to change it up like that.

“Damn, that’s a nice blender,” Jake whistled as he looked at the box in his sister’s hand. “If you don’t want to try and take it back to San Francisco, I’ll take it.”

“Go get your own,” Jill glared at her brother as she tucked the box away under the table. “This one’s mine.”

“The blender or the converted homo?” Bryan grinned as he once again cued up his recording and hit play, causing Alex’s euphoric chants to once again echo through the room.

“Both,” Jill smirked as she leaned over to rest her head on Lindsay’s shoulder.

“Dear Lord,” Alex muttered as a particularly loud ‘ _oh fuck yes Liv’_ echoed through the room, shaking her head as she turned to her lover who was studiously focused on her breakfast. “This is all your fault.”

Olivia looked over at Alex and winked. “Nuh-uh, you were the one who couldn’t keep quiet.”

“What’s going on in here?” Maggie demanded as she walked into the room. “Why is Alex faking an orgasm in the …,” she broke off as she spied Alex hiding her face in her hands and Bryan holding his phone up. “I see,” she nodded, appraising the group. “Rule fourteen B?”

“Yup,” Bryan grinned over his shoulder at his aunt. “And she got a trophy!” he pointed at the tinfoil O beside Alex’s plate as the ADA rolled her eyes to the ceiling in a silent prayer for God to just kill her now.

“That’s a lovely trophy Alex dear,” Maggie laughed and smiled at her niece.

“Don’t forget the fact that Jilly got a blender!” Jake grinned.

“A blender?” Maggie frowned. “I thought the joke was a toaster?”

“Gave Lindsay the toaster,” Adam explained as he watched Lindsay blush and look away from her girlfriend’s mother. “So I figured I’d give Jilly something a little different.”

“Mmm,” Maggie nodded. “I see. Because nobody really needs two toasters.”

“Exactly,” Adam nodded, grinning proudly.

“Well, as the lone ‘adult’,” Maggie used little air finger quotes to emphasize her point that the adults around the table were acting like children, “I need to remind you,” she pointed at Alex, “that rule fourteen C must be adhered to, should you decide to seek revenge upon your cousin for making and airing that recording.”

Alex nodded her understanding and glared threateningly at Bryan who just smiled back at her and blew the ADA a kiss. “Bring it on Alex.”

“Oh, and James is coming back from the barn with the little ones now,” she informed the group. “So can we please behave ourselves while they are in residence? I don’t want to have to explain why Auntie Alex is making sounds like that,” she waved at the phone.

“Yes Maggie,” the group mumbled, with the exception of Jill and her brothers who groaned, “Yes mom.”

“I didn’t say you can’t still have your fun,” Maggie laughed at the suddenly quiet group. “Just not when the little ones are around. Be good, don’t make me go all parental on your asses,” she warned as she left the room with a jaunty wave over her shoulder.

“God I love your mother.” Adam smiled at Jake.


	15. Chapter 15

Maggie walked back into the dining room chuckling softly and shaking her head in amusement at the things ‘the cousins’ managed to come up with. She’d heard of the toaster thing before, but the blender was a stroke of genius that fell just below celebratory sex donuts and balloons.

“So why was my daughter pulling a _When Harry Met Sally_?” Carolyn asked as she looked up from the Scrabble board she had been busy studying to focus on her sister-in-law.

Maggie laughed and sat back down in her chair. “She wasn’t,” she shared as she began flipping her letter tiles back over to reposition them in her tray. “Turns out your son,” she arched a brow at Jenny who was listening with her hands folded under her chin, “got a recording of Alex during a rather intimate moment this morning.”

“Wow,” Jenny laughed. “She was loud enough that he managed to get _that_ recording of her from the hall?”

“She never was a quiet child,” Carolyn muttered, her voice tinged with suppressed laughter, as she carefully selected the tiles she wanted to play and popped up out of her chair to put them into position. “M-E-N-T onto EXCITE gives me twenty one points, plus the triple word score makes it sixty three,” she declared with an impish grin as she sat back down in her chair and reached for the letter bag to replenish her tiles.

“Shit,” Maggie muttered as she wrote Carolyn’s score down on the pad to her right.

“So do you really approve of Olivia?” Jenny asked as she fiddled with her tiles, trying to figure out what to play. She was stalling, for sure, but she was also curious as to what Carolyn thought of the detective. She knew from conversations with her husband that he and Maggie completely approved of the brunette for Alex.

“I do,” Carolyn nodded as she rearranged the letters on her tray. “From what Liz says she’s an extremely hard worker, fiercely loyal, and quite intelligent. Which is important because Alex needs somebody who can challenge her intellectually. Plus, just from watching the two of them interact I can tell that she has the perfect mix of adoration and backbone.”

“What do you mean by that Carolyn?” Maggie laughed as she leaned back in her chair and appraised the woman to her left. “Oh, and Jenny – you need to play something or pass. Our talking doesn’t negate the time limit in place between moves.”

Jenny stuck her tongue out at Maggie who just blew her a kiss before turning her attention back to Carolyn.

“You two are nearly as bad as the children,” she chided. “But, back to the subject at hand, Olivia absolutely adores Alex,” Carolyn couldn’t help but smile as she shared her observation. “Never mind what she said last night, you can see it in her eyes, her posture – she unconsciously mirrors Alexandra’s movement to keep herself in a position where her hands are free to protect Alex should the need arise. Watch her the next time you’re around them,” she arched a challenging brow as she caught sight of Jenny’s disbelief. “It’s quite something. And, more importantly, Alex lets her do it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her that secure in a lover’s presence before.”

“You should have seen her in the hospital with Alex after they’d been attacked outside that club,” Maggie shared with the group, smiling at the memory. “There she was, doped to the moon on pain meds after coming out of surgery, her shoulder bandaged and completely useless, and the moment she saw me sitting in the room her first instinct was to protect Alex.”

“D’awww,” Jenny sighed and the other women laughed.

“It is sweet,” Carolyn laughed lightly. “But, more than that, I can tell that Olivia will not only protect Alex – she will also take care of her. And, again, Alex lets her do this.”

“Which is quite amazing,” Maggie chimed in.

“Exactly,” Carolyn nodded. “Olivia seems uniquely suited to give Alex what she wants, what she needs, but at the same time be able to stand up to my daughter and tell her ‘no’ when she needs to. Really, after all that – what is there **_not_** to approve of?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Olivia flopped down into an overstuffed armchair in the family room and pulled Alex down onto her lap. The breakfast dishes were cleaned and put away and a handful of the Cousins had volunteered to take the kids on a hike out to the lake in an attempt to tire them out enough to earn everybody some quality ‘quiet time’ that afternoon. “Mmm,” she hummed happily as she wrapped her arms around the blonde’s waist and tugged her in close.

Alex giggled softly and reclined back into her lover, turning slightly on Olivia’s lap so she could rest her head on the brunette’s shoulder. “Comfy?”

“Exceedingly so,” Olivia sighed.

“Me too,” Alex murmured as she lifted her chin to press a soft kiss to the hard edge of Olivia’s jaw. “I love you.”

“Ohmygod, can you two just knock it off for like five minutes and give the rest of us a break?” Jake groaned dramatically as he threw himself onto the couch and swiped the clicker off the armrest. “I mean, really. How do you just keep going like that?”

Jill’s hearty laugh rolled over the room as she dropped to the middle cushion of the couch and Lindsay settled into the vacant end of the sofa. “Jake, what you have to understand is,” she started to explain as she laid down, settling her head in Lindsay’s lap and propping her feet on her brother’s knees, “that, as women, we don’t have to take time to … reload.”

“Gross!” Alex laughed.

“But true,” Olivia noted. “Crude, granted, but true nonetheless.”

“This falls into that whole no boundaries thing we were discussing earlier, doesn’t it?” Lindsay chuckled as she combed her fingers through Jill’s hair.

“Mmm,” Jill nodded, her eyes closing as the Inspector’s fingers lightly scraped her scalp. “Indeed it does. Don’t stop baby, that feels so good,” she mumbled when Lindsay’s fingers stopped moving.

“And that didn’t sound sexual at all,” Adam observed as he fell back into one of the other armchairs surrounding the entertainment center.

“Actually,” Bryan laughed as he threw himself into the last remaining empty chair in front of the entertainment center. “It sounded a lot like Alex this morning,” he grinned as he pulled out his phone.

“If you play that recording one more time I swear to god I will kick your ass Bryan,” Alex growled threateningly.

“Ooooh, I’m so scared,” he teased in a sing-song falsetto.

“You should be,” Alex informed him. “Because I have one of New York’s finest as backup – what do you have?”

Bryan frowned as he considered his options, sighing in defeat as he slid his phone back into his pocket. “Apparently I have a really good recording of you having extremely loud and vocal sex that I can’t do anything with.”

“That’s right bitch,” Alex smirked and cuddled back into Olivia’s chest.

“Nice of you to assume that I would back you up there Sweetie,” Olivia murmured as she brushed her lips over the blonde’s temple.

“You would back me up,” Alex replied confidently.

“You’re sure about that one huh?” Olivia chuckled as she playfully tickled the woman in her arms.

“I am,” Alex nodded. “Because you agreed to move in with me, so I know you’re going to always be there to look out for me now.”

“Aww,” Olivia teased and tickled Alex again. “You’re lucky I love you.”

“I know,” Alex replied, the teasing tone disappearing from her voice as she ran the back of her hand over Olivia’s cheek. “Believe me, I know.”

“So you’re going to be cohabitating huh?” Jill turned onto her side so she could see Alex and Olivia better.

Olivia and Alex nodded.

“Congratulations,” Adam, Bryan, Jake, Jill and Lindsay chorused. “When’s the big day?”

“We didn’t get that far,” Alex admitted.

“So that’s what the insanely loud sex was for huh? Celebrating?” Jake teased.

“Actually,” Olivia informed him, “Alex asked me **_after_** her award winning performance.”

Alex turned her head to bury her face in the crook of Olivia’s neck. “God, don’t encourage him Liv,” she murmured.

“I’ll behave myself for now Lexi,” Jake assured his cousin, making sure to use the nickname that he knew she hated. “Ow, damn woman!” he swore when Jill kicked him in Alex’s defense. “Sorry, fuck!” he apologized and waved a warning finger in his sister’s face as he watched her wind up for another good kick. “Do not kick me again Jill. I’m serious,” he threatened as he flipped on the television.

“Who’s playing?” Olivia asked as she shifted Alex off of her lap and onto the cushion beside her, leaving the blonde’s legs draped over her own so they could still cuddle.

“Lions, Pats,” Adam shared as he turned in his seat to face the television.

“So when do you want to make the move?” Alex whispered in Olivia’s ear as the rest of the room’s attention became focused on the opening kickoff.

“Doesn’t matter to me Baby,” Olivia murmured, pressing a soft kiss to Alex’s forehead. “I’m really only going to need clothes right away, we can always take some time to move some of my books and other things over in smaller trips. It’s not like any of my furniture needs to go.”

“You don’t want to keep any of your furniture?” Alex frowned.

Olivia shrugged. “Just the cedar chest that’s at the foot of my bed. It was my mom’s. Everything else is just whatever I could afford whenever I needed something. None of it is as nice as your stuff.”

“Liv, are you sure?” Alex asked, sitting up to stare intently into her lover’s warm chocolate eyes as the detective pondered the question before her. “I want the apartment to become **_our_** apartment, not **_my_** apartment that you just so happen to live in too. I don’t mind getting rid of some stuff if you’d like to keep some of yours.”

“There’s really nothing that I’m that attached too,” Olivia shrugged. “My apartment was my first place I got after I graduated from the academy. It was a place I would sleep at and occasionally hide from the world in, but your place feels more like home than mine ever did. Home for me is wherever you are,” she murmured. “If the furniture thing is a big deal for you we can always go shopping and buy some new stuff. I’m not picky – I just want you,” she whispered as she nuzzled the blonde’s cheek.

“You are amazing,” Alex murmured, tucking a finger under Olivia’s chin to lift the brunette’s lips so she could capture them in a slow sensual kiss, desperate to convey with that simple caress every ounce of love and adoration she held for the brunette. Desperate to try and make Olivia understand that home for her was wherever the detective was.

“Not again!” Jake’s teasing voice called out as their kisses grew deeper and more impassioned. “Get a room!”

Olivia chuckled as she felt Alex smile against her lips. “What are you thinking Counselor?” she murmured, leaning in and kissing the blonde again softly.

Alex moaned softly and trailed a soft line of kisses over Olivia’s cheek to her ear. “I’m debating the merits of my cousin’s suggestion,” she purred, running her tongue along the rim of the brunette’s ear before capturing the lobe between her lips and teasing it with her tongue.

“Ah, Alex,” Olivia squirmed under the onslaught of her lover’s caress. “Baby. God that feels good,” she moaned as Alex bit down on her earlobe. “Fuck. You already won one trophy today – do you really want to go for two?”

Alex huffed indignantly and pulled back from her lover. “Not really,” she pouted as she leaned back against the arm of the chair and turned her attention to the game.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Olivia frowned as she looked over the clothes she’d packed for dinner her eyes roaming over a couple different pairs of slacks, nice button-down shirts, and even a sweater or two – she’d brought a selection because she wasn’t entirely sure what would be considered appropriate attire. But from the looks of what Alex had changed into she’d severely misjudged the situation. “Are you sure? This isn’t like some bizarre Cabot hazing ritual or anything is it?” she asked as she looked from her lover to her suitcase and back again.

Alex laughed and shook her head as she pulled the detective into a comforting embrace. “I swear to you Liv, jeans and one of those shirts would be fine. Or wear a sweater, it doesn’t matter. Although if you do decide on a sweater I would like to request the red one,” she pointed at her selection. “I love that one on you.”

“You guys don’t get dressed up for dinner?” Olivia asked, still having a hard time processing the fact that the Cabots, for all their class and obvious wealth, wore jeans to Thanksgiving dinner.

“No,” Alex kissed the column of the brunette’s throat tenderly. “But, you can if you’d like. All the grown-ups wear nicer clothes.”

“Are you calling me old?”

“No,” Alex shook her head and smiled. “You are not old. You’re perfect.”

“Nice save,” Olivia chuckled.

“Thank you,” Alex murmured as she began trailing her lips back up Olivia’s neck with slow, languorous kisses.

“Mmm,” Olivia hummed appreciatively as she felt Alex’s lips crest her jaw and hover tantalizingly close to her mouth. “Why, may I ask, don’t you all dress up for dinner?”

A corner of Alex’s lips tweaked in a smirk as she replied, “There is a history of some fairly epic food fights at the Cousins’ table. That’s why the kids are stuck with the grandparents … apparently we’re too much of a bad influence on their young, impressionable minds.”

“Why is it,” Olivia chuckled as she lifted her lips to Alex’s, sucking the blonde’s lower lip between her own and nipping gently at the captured flesh, “that I’m really not too surprised about that?”

“Oooooh,” Alex groaned as Olivia’s strong hands lifted and cradled her breasts over the thin material of her tank top. “God, don’t tease me unless I’m allowed to play,” she murmured warningly as Olivia’s thumbs began brushing back and forth over her rapidly hardening nipples.

“Unfortunately, my love,” Olivia pinched the blonde’s nipples quickly before allowing her hands to fall uselessly to her sides as she turned back to her suitcase. “We don’t have time to ‘play’ … dinner is in fifteen minutes.”

“Fine,” Alex grumbled as she began digging through her own bag for the shoes she’d packed for the evening. “But mark my words Detective, I will have my way with you before the night is over.”


	16. Chapter 16

Olivia took her seat beside Alex at the ‘Cousins’ table’ and smoothed her napkin over her lap as she appraised Jake and Adam who were deep in conversation at the other end of the oversized oblong mahogany slab. Knowing what she did of the two men from the last twenty four hours, she had a feeling they were up to some kind of trouble. “Hey, Alex,” she leaned in to whisper in her girlfriend’s ear, “what do you think those two are up to?” she asked, pointing discretely at Adam and Jake.

Alex looked up and grinned, a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she placed a reassuring hand on Olivia thigh and leaned over to whisper something to Jill who was sitting on her right. Jill laughed and nodded, turning around to pull something out of a bag she’d stashed under the table. Olivia tried to see what it was, but the tablecloth kept whatever it was hidden from view.

“Here, Liv,” Alex muttered out of the corner of her mouth as she set whatever Jill had given her on Olivia’s lap. “Take this but keep it hidden.”

Olivia frowned, running her hands over what felt like a cylindrical plastic tube with some kind of rubber nozzle on one end. “Wha…,” she started to ask but was cut off by a quiet hiss from her lover.

“Not now, Liv,” Alex groaned as she handed the brunette what felt like a handful of ice cold BBs. “Here, ammo.”

“Oh shit,” Olivia laughed softly as she looked down to find her palm full of frozen peas, this final piece of the puzzle helping her to identify the cylindrical plastic object in her lap as a pea shooter. “You weren’t kidding!”

“Please,” Alex scoffed. “I never lie … I will perhaps exaggerate from time to time for dramatic effect, but I never lie.”

Jill, who had been busy handing out the munitions to their half of the table tucked her head and mouthed _‘ready?’_ to Alex, who nodded and nudged Olivia, indicating with a nod of her head that the action was about to get underway.

“Hey, boys!” Jill called out merrily. “Guess what?”

“What?” Jake asked reflexively, looking up from whatever it was he was studying with Adam to lock eyes with his sister.

Jill grinned malevolently and lifted her primed shooter to deliver a solid hit to the middle of her brother’s forehead. “That’s what chicken butt!” she laughed hysterically.

The table, which had frozen at Jill’s first catcall, exploded into a mass of activity, the girls loading and firing their pea shooters as fast as possible while Jake, Adam, John and Bryan pulled out multi-loader marshmallow guns and returned fire. Olivia and Lindsay, being the supportive girlfriends that they were, joined the fracas alongside their lovers in what had to’ve been the most ridiculous food fight in the history of the world – each of them doing her damndest to take out as many of the boys as possible. The rest of the spouses, however, reacted to the melee with a level of intelligence that had completely abandoned the normally brilliant Cousins, instinctively diving under the table for protection.

Adam, Bryan, Jake and John retreated to one end of the table, lining up their shots and firing with reckless abandon as Jill, Alex, Andy, Bryn, Olivia and Lindsay retreated to the other – ducking behind the table for protection as they returned fire. It was crazy. It was complete and utter chaos. Food was flying, people were laughing, it was glorious. It was the best fucking Thanksgiving dinner EVER. Not even two minutes into the fight the room was resembling something closer to a middle school cafeteria after a couple thousand kids had gone through it than the professional stately kitchen it actually was.

“Hey! Cool!” a small voice shouted exuberantly from the doorway joining the kitchen and the dining room. “The parents are having a food fight!”

“AWESOME!” a chorus of tiny voices echoed as all of the Cabot children raced into the room to join in the fun. Jake and Jill, having prepared for such an eventuality, handed off the appropriate weaponry as the little boys sided with the male cousins and the girls slid into place alongside their female counterparts.

At hearing little Davey’s outburst Maggie jumped up from her spot at the ‘grown-ups’ table and raced into the kitchen, Carolyn and Jenny hot on her heels. The three ‘moms’ skidded to a stop just on the messy half of the threshold and stared.

“They came prepared this year,” Jenny observed with a small laugh.

“Oh no!” Carolyn’s disbelieving voice carried over the exuberant din as she quickly crossed the long kitchen until she was in the center of the mayhem. “No! Give that to me,” she growled as she swiped the marshmallow gun out of Adam’s hand and whacked him upside the head with it. “What the hell do you think you’re doing young man?!” she demanded.

The Cousins froze before, as a cohesive unit in perfect synchronization, pointing to the group on the other side of the table than them and shouting, “They started it!”

“Oh no,” Maggie shook her head as she joined Carolyn as an enforcer and took Jill’s pea shooter out of her hand. “Did you buy these?” she asked her daughter.

Jill couldn’t hide her smirk as she confessed with a small nod.

“Well done,” Maggie grinned approvingly. “You’re still in a shit-storm of trouble …”

“OOOOH! Gramma Maggie said a bad word! We get a dollar!” the grandkids called out merrily, holding their grubby little hands out expectantly.

“Fuck,” Maggie muttered, causing the kiddos to laugh and hold out their other hand as well.

“Okay, first of all,” Maggie turned to the supposed ‘adults’, “you lot will be paying the monsters,” she hitched a thumb at the smiling kids. “And second of all…”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“I can’t believe they took our guns,” Adam grumbled as he dejectedly picked at his dinner with his fingers. After their impromptu war the ‘moms’ had decided that since the group was acting like children they should be treated as such, so they took every stick of silverware off of the table, citing the fact that since the Cousins had so much fun flinging food at each other they didn’t deserve to have anything that could be used as weaponry.

“Yeah, this sucks,” Jill grumbled as she lifted a piece of sliced turkey to her mouth and tore off a bite. “How the hell am I supposed to eat my cranberry sauce with my fingers?”

“Shouldn’t have gotten in a food fight,” Kim chuckled as she made quite a show of eating her dinner in a more civilized manner with a knife and fork.

“Shut-up Kim,” the utensil-less warmongers grumbled.

“You’re all just mad because you know she’s right,” Tim, Andy’s husband, informed the sullen group.

“You’re such a pussy Tim,” Jake pointed a gravy covered finger at the bespectacled man. “Hiding under the table like a little girl. Hell – Liv and Linds joined in and this is their first dinner with the family!”

“Hey,” Tim protested, dabbing at the corner of his mouth with his napkin.

“Shut up Tim or you’re not getting any for a month,” Andy glowered at her husband who, quite wisely, returned his attention to his plate without another word.

“This has got to be the craziest Thanksgiving dinner in the history of the world,” Olivia muttered as she pinched some stuffing between her thumb and forefinger and lifted it to her mouth.

“Nah,” Alex chuckled as she abandoned her food in deference to her glass of Cabernet. “Second craziest, sure, but definitely not the craziest.”

The rest of the Cousins nodded their agreement while they picked through their turkey dinners with their fingers.

“Do I want to know?” Olivia asked hesitantly.

“One year we armed ourselves with super-soakers,” Alex shared, a smile tweaking her lips at the memory.

“God, yeah! That year was EPIC!” Jill laughed.

“What did you do with the super-soakers?” Lindsay asked.

“Let’s just say that if you water it down enough, gravy can get some killer distance,” Jill shared, a wistful smile tweaking her lips as she replayed the memory of **_that_** fight in her mind.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alex groaned as she dropped into an empty chair around the game table in the great room. The kitchen was once again pristine and the dishes were all cleaned and put away, the Cousins were exhausted after over an hour’s worth of manual labor and now it was finally time to relax. “Okay,” she asked as she straightened her glasses, “what’s the game this year?”

Jill shrugged. “Dunno, BMOC Bryan wouldn’t share until everybody got here. Where’s Olivia?”

“Bathroom,” Alex shrugged. “She should be here in a minute. C’mon Bry, what’s the game?”

The neurosurgeon grinned as he answered, “Operation.”

The rest of the group laughed out loud, torn between complete disbelief that one of their own would even try to create a drinking game around Operation and overall acceptance after last year’s Chutes and Ladders marathon. Of course, last year they ended with fireworks and that kind of upped the cool factor of the evening … until the cops came out for a visit, that was.

Adam, bless his soul, was the first to gain enough control to ask, “So, what are the rules?”

“Well,” Bryan laughed as he shook the board out of the box. “If you successfully remove the bone everybody else has to drink, if you miss you have to drink.”

“Dude,” Jill scowled at her cousin. “We’ll all be fucking hammered by the end of the first game!”

Bryan frowned thoughtfully as he seriously pondered Jill’s argument for a moment. “Isn’t that the point?”

“Hmm,” Jill pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Yeah, guess you’re right. Okay, carry on,” she waved a hand authoritatively.

“So, who’s gonna go first?” Alex asked as she scooted her chair to the side to allow Olivia, who had just entered the room, a place at the table.

“Paper-Rock-Scissors?” John offered with an arched brow.

The rest of the group considered his suggestion for a moment before Bryn shook her head no. “Nah. That’ll take too long. I got it. Everybody, put your fist in,” she directed the group who obediently followed directions and held their fists out over the center of the table. “Eenie, meenie, miney, mo, catch a tiger by the toe, if he hollers let him go, eenie, meenie, miney mo. My mother said to pick the very best one and you are it,” she landed on Lindsay’s fist. “Lindsay’s starting us off this year.”

“What are we drinking?” Olivia asked as she studied the group.

The cousins all grinned devilishly at Alex as they answered as a group, “Tequila.”

Olivia grinned. “Okay. I officially love all of you.”

“We know,” Jill grinned. “We accept personal checks and gift cards to major department stores.”

“And Amazon!” Adam laughed.

“Yeah,” Bryn nodded in agreement. “Mamma’s Kindle needs some new books.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two hours later the entire group was three sheets to the wind and feeling no pain. “Drink!” they all yelled raucously at Jake who just missed removing the funny bone.

“So, what are we playing this year?” Maggie asked as she sauntered into the game room, not surprised in the least to find fifteen normally well-educated, fairly reserved, adults drunk out of their minds and swearing at a child’s toy.

“Operation,” Jake hiccupped after downing his shot. “Hi mom.”

“Hello dear,” Maggie smiled indulgently. “So, who’s winning?”

“The fat zappy bastard,” Jill grumbled dejectedly. She’d missed the little bone she’d been trying for on her last three turns and was beginning to really get depressed about the whole thing.

“I see,” Maggie drawled.

“I named him Rudolph,” Adam grinned drunkenly.

“Very creative Adam, honey,” Maggie smiled at her nephew.

“Stop that Alex,” Olivia whispered audibly as she swatted at her lover’s hands that were busy trying to work their way under her shirt. Again.

“But Baaaaaby,” Alex whined. “They’re just so gorgeous and lonely … they’re begging for me to play with them!”

Maggie laughed loudly at the couple’s mini-altercation. “You lot,” she pointed accusingly at the Cousins, “got her drunk on tequila on purpose – didn’t you?”

The group, minus Alex and Olivia (who were still arguing over whether or not the brunette’s breasts were ‘lonely’), nodded. “Yep,” Jill spoke for them all. “Abso-fucking-lutely! Look at her,” she waved wildly in Alex’s general direction but never once actually managed to point _at_ her cousin, “she’s all over her. Two more shots and we’re going to have our own floor show!”

“Ooooh! Think we can convince her that giving Olivia a lap dance is a good idea?” John laughed, slurring his words only slightly.

“I can do lap dances,” Alex nodded amenably. “I even know how to work a pole!”

“Wow,” Andy chuckled as she squinted across the table at her baby sister. “Do we really want to know, Al?”

“I take a class,” Alex turned imperiously on her sister. “It’s AWESOME!”

“It is,” Olivia nodded, taking hold of the blonde’s wandering hands in both of her own. “Baby, stop,” she muttered.

“I can’t!” Alex argued plaintively. “They need their friends to keep them company, ” she wiggled her fingers in front of Olivia’s face as evidence as to what ‘friends’ she was talking about. “They’re sooooooo lonely Liv! Oh! And look,” she pointed victoriously at the brunette’s obviously erect nipples. “See, they want me! They’re saying, ‘Alex, come play with us!’.”

“Okay,” Olivia finally relented with a quite murmur against the horny blonde’s ear. “Let’s go upstairs to bed. Say goodnight to your cousins.”

Alex’s eyes lit up and she nodded vigorously. “Kay. Night guys, I’m going to go have my evil way with Olivia – and if you make another recording Bryan,” she leveled her suddenly clear eyes on her cousin, “I will let Olivia shoot you. No, wait,” she paused for a moment as an even more brilliant idea came to mind. “I will **_tell_** her to shoot you – and she listens to me because she loves me.”

Bryan wisely opted not to respond, instead just holding his hands up at his suddenly violent cousin in submission and understanding.

“Go get some girls!” Adam waved drunkenly with his hand that was holding the little tweezers for the game, which caused the red box to skitter across the table before falling off the edge.

“Adam!” the Cousins groaned as they all stared at the game that was now lying on the floor.

“Shit! Sorry!” he squeaked as he dove out of his chair to recover the tiny plastic bones off of the rug.

 


	17. Chapter 17

“I am having the strangest sense of déjà vu right now,” Olivia laughed as she fought to keep Alex off of her as they stumbled up the stairs to Alex’s bedroom. She was just as inebriated as the supremely horny blonde, but she thankfully handled her alcohol with a little more decorum. “Baby, please. Let’s just get into your room where we can lock the door and then you can do whatever you want to me, okay?”

This got Alex’s attention. Even drunk out of her mind, she knew a good thing when she heard it. “Anything?” she clarified, leaning in and palming the brunette’s breasts possessively.

“Yes,” Olivia nodded as she, once again, peeled the blonde’s hands off her boobs. “Anything you want, Baby, just let us get to the privacy of your room first.”

“Okay,” Alex nodded eagerly as she pulled her hands free of the brunette’s. “Race ya,” she called out laughingly as she abandoned her lover in the middle of the staircase and started running to her room. “Come on slowpoke – you promised me whatever I want!” she hollered over her shoulder as she cleared the final step and hurried down the hall.

Olivia just shook her head and smiled indulgently as she continued up the stairs en route to Alex’s room at a much more controlled pace, savoring the anticipation that was building low in her belly for the remainder of the evening’s activities. She looked around Alex’s sitting area expectantly as she entered the room, somewhat surprised by the fact that she wasn’t immediately attacked by the uber-aroused blonde. “Alex? Baby?” she called out as she crossed the front room to look into the bedroom that was also surprisingly empty. “Alex?” she tried again as she glanced into the en suite thinking that maybe Alex had gotten ill from her sprint up the stairs.

“I’m right here,” Alex called out, her voice low, throaty, and pure silken sex.

“How did I get here before you?” Olivia asked as she turned to face her lover, her question answered by the two silk ties dangling from the blonde’s fingertips. “Where did you find those?”

Alex smiled as she crossed the room and wrapped her arms around Olivia’s neck. “I had to sneak into Adam’s room and steal them out of his closet,” she informed her lover in a seductive whisper before she leaned in and claimed the brunette’s lips in a slow, sensual kiss.

Olivia smiled as they broke apart with quiet, appreciative gasps, and reached up to brush Alex’s hair off of her brow as she asked, “And why do we need neckties?”

“I didn’t bring my scarves, and you said I could do **_whatever_** I want to you,” Alex reminded the brunette with a smile.

“I did, didn’t I?” Olivia played along. “And what,” she kissed Alex slow and deep, “did you have in mind?”

Alex licked her lips as she nuzzled the brunette’s cheek with her nose. “I want to make love to you over and over again until we both pass out from sheer exhaustion,” she whispered, dipping her hands under the hem of Olivia’s sweater and running her hands over the skin she found.

“Mmm,” Olivia murmured as she reciprocated the blonde’s actions and snuck her hands under Alex’s top. “That sounds like heaven.”

“I thought so too,” Alex winked as she worked her hands higher and higher, forcing Olivia’s hands off of her as the brunette’s sweater caught on her wrists and moved along with her until she was able to toss the garment aside and the brunette was left standing in her jeans and bra. Blue eyes darkened noticeably as she appraised her half-naked lover, her gaze zeroing in on Olivia’s nipples through the sheer material of the brunette’s bra. She slowly moved her left hand under the cup of Olivia’s left breast as her right slipped around the brunette’s back to deftly unhook the clasps holding the bra together. “Much better,” she observed with a smile as she removed the bra and let it fall to the floor.

Olivia groaned as a teasing thumb brushed over her hardened tip and she immediately set to remove Alex’s sweater as well – but the blonde put a quick end to that idea with a sharp pinch on the nipple she’d been toying with and a shake of her head. “Alex,” Olivia whimpered, wanting so badly to feel Alex’s body pressed against hers, skin to skin, breast to breast.

“Mm-mm,” Alex shook her head with a coquettish grin. “You said whatever I want,” she informed the panting brunette as she placed her hands on Olivia’s hips and began pushing the detective backwards to the bed. “I want to touch you,” she husked as she placed a hand on Olivia’s shoulder and pressed the brunette back onto the bed. “I want to taste you,” she continued her dissertation on her planned activities as she used her body to guide her lover farther onto the mattress, higher up the bed until her head was resting on a pillow. “I want to make you scream.”

“Aaaalex,” Olivia moaned, very much liking the sound of Alex’s ideas.

“And,” Alex smiled wolfishly as she ran her hands over Olivia’s muscular shoulders and down her arms until she was able to twine their fingers together and move their joined hands out to their sides, “I am going to tie your hands to the bedposts so you can’t make me stop,” she purred.

Olivia knew that was what Alex had in mind the moment she spotted the accessories in the blonde’s hands, but hearing the exact words spoken with the delicious weight of her lover straddling her waist was enough to drive every coherent thought straight out of her mind. “Oh god.”

Alex just smiled and leaned in for yet another slow, sensual, deliberate kiss that grew hotter and hotter with every brush of lips, tongues dipping and diving into welcoming mouths, stroking, massaging, dueling for control until they finally were forced to break apart, gasping for breath. She licked her lips and delivered one last quick kiss to Olivia’s lips before she took one of the ties that she’d commandeered and used it to secure the brunette’s right wrist to the bedpost.

Olivia watched, chest heaving from the heat of their kiss as she watched Alex finish with her task and begin laying soft, wet kisses down the length of her arm, starting at her wrist and moving incrementally higher, each tender press of lips barely further along than the last. She reflexively wet her lips as her gaze focused on that finite connection of Alex’s mouth against her body, concentrating on the visual of her lover’s pale pink lips ghosting over her skin and drowning in the electric sensation every caress evoked. Higher and higher, past her elbow, over her trembling bicep, Alex’s mouth venerated her. A sharp nip at the fleshy nape of her neck had Olivia gasping in surprise, a low throaty moan rumbling in her throat as Alex lovingly soothed the bite with her tongue.

Alex worked her way up the column of Olivia’s throat, delivering an untold number of kisses to the sensitive column until she crested the brunette’s jaw and worked her way over to what she thought were the most delicious lips in the universe. “I love you,” she hummed as she kissed the corner of Olivia’s mouth, purposefully not giving the brunette the firm contact she desired. “I love you,” she whispered as she brushed her lips over her lover’s before delivering another quick chaste kiss to the other corner of Olivia’s mouth.

“Oh god,” Olivia moaned wantonly as Alex’s lips ghosted over her jaw and began working their way down the other side of her neck, kissing, licking, nipping sucking. “Mmm,” she writhed as Alex’s teeth scraped over her collarbone before moving onward, over her shoulder, past her bicep, taking time to truly worship the bend in her arm with soft lips, hot breaths and a deft wet tongue before continuing on.

Alex laid a soft kiss to the underside of Olivia’s wrist before she carefully wrapped one end of the remaining silk tie around the joint, tying it off securely but not too tightly before lashing it securely to the bedpost. She sat back on her heels atop Olivia’s hips and licked her lips as she drank in the sight before her. She bit her lip as she ran her fingertips over the plane of the bound brunette’s chest, everything else in the room disappearing into a blurry fog as she began to slowly spiral the backs of her fingers over the circumference of Olivia’s breasts.

She flicked her eyes up to look deep into Olivia’s as she leaned in to slowly trace the perimeter of a perfect mocha nipple with the tip of her tongue, a soft sigh escaping her as she watched Olivia bite down on her lip after emitting a quiet moan and the brunette’s eyelids fluttered closed. She rolled the breast she wasn’t latched on to under her palm, dragging the pad of her thumb over the tip, teasing it to rigid attention. “So beautiful.” She finished one last lap around the nipple she’d been tonguing before switching her oral attentions to the brunette’s other breast, repeating her light, circular patterns with the very tip of her tongue.

Olivia writhed as Alex began laying soft kisses down her stomach, her eyes opening to focus on the blonde’s path – desperate for the visual reassurance that her lover was indeed going where she was so urgently needed. “Oh fuck,” she groaned as Alex began laying hot, heavy kisses to her abdomen as the blonde’s hands worked open her belt.

Alex looked up and smiled at her lover’s exclamation. “I think you have too many clothes on,” she observed quietly, pleased to see that Olivia’s only response was to lick her lips and nod in agreement. She flicked the button on the brunette’s jeans open before sliding down the detective’s lean body to pull the zipper down with her teeth. She buried her nose in Olivia’s mound and inhaled the sweet musky scent of her lover’s arousal, a low growl of lust rumbling in her chest at the scent – she needed to dip her tongue deep into that fragrant pool, needed to taste the extent of Olivia’s desire.

“Aah…. Alex,” Olivia gasped as the blonde’s fingers worked their way inside the waistband of her jeans and underwear and began tugging almost violently against them. A quick look from Alex had her lifting her hips higher than necessary, putting the majority of her weight on her shoulders as she allowed the blonde more than enough room to remove the offending clothes.

Alex had to catch herself as she tossed Olivia’s pants aside, fighting the nearly overpowering urge to bury in face in the brunette’s sex and devour her. No. She would get there, but first there was so much more skin to taste, to touch, to excite, to feel. So she remained where she was at the foot of the bed and, making sure she had Olivia’s complete attention, began running her fingers under the hem of her sweater. “Should I take this off?”

Olivia licked her lips and nodded vigorously, pulling experimentally at her restraints. She wanted to be the one to remove Alex’s clothes, she wanted to expose the smooth planes of her lover’s unblemished alabaster skin.

Alex watched Olivia tugging at her restraints, knowing instantly what the brunette was thinking and enjoying taunting her with her inability to get it. “I take it that’s a yes?” she teased, lifting her sweater until it was bunched just below her breasts.

“Alex,” Olivia rasped desperately.

Alex smirked and quickly removed the sweater, letting it fall to the ground beside her as she ran a teasing finger over the cup of her bra, enjoying the way Olivia’s eyes burned with desire as the dark orbs tracked each and every movement she made against her breast. The low plaintive whimper that fell from her lover’s lips spurred her onward and she held Olivia’s gaze captive as she unhooked the front clasp on her bra, holding it closed for a moment before pulling it open and shrugging it off of her shoulders.

“Baby.” The quiet plea fell from Olivia’s lips on a breath and drove Alex forward as the blonde gave up her slow, tortuous strip-tease and quickly shucked her jeans and panties before she climbed back onto the bed, easily fitting herself between her bound lover’s legs and leaning over Olivia in such a way that their nipples brushed against each other lightly.

Olivia writhed under the blonde’s sensual torture, her body tingling with her need for Alex to touch her, with her need to touch Alex. “Mmm,” she moaned as she felt Alex lay down atop her, hip to hip, breast to breast, and she eagerly met the blonde’s searching lips with a deep, wet kiss. She tugged at her restraints again, wanting nothing more than to wrap her arms around her lover, but once again Alex’s bonds held.

Alex could feel Olivia still testing her restraints below her and she smiled into their next kiss, eagerly sucking the brunette’s invading tongue further into her mouth as she slid her hands up and down Olivia’s sides in a way that she knew never failed to drive her lover crazy. She ran her hands down over Olivia’s hips to the bend of the brunette’s knees, pushing the woman below her open wider as she began to move her hands upwards slowly, so incredibly slowly over the sensitive skin of the brunette’s inner thighs. Alex licked Olivia’s lips as she broke their kiss and began laying hot, wet kisses down Olivia’s body until her hands and mouth met at the brunette’s very center. She slipped her hands around Olivia’s hips to cup the brunette’s ass, lifting Olivia to meet her mouth as she finally, finally delivered that first intimate kiss.

“Oh fuck,” Olivia gasped, surprised by the sheer amount of electricity that flowed through her from that gentle caress. She tugged harder at her restraints, now absolutely desperate to tangle her hands in Alex’s hair and hold the blonde’s mouth to her, but only succeeded in irritating the skin on her wrists.

“Stop fighting,” Alex murmured, punctuating her statement with a light flick of her tongue over the brunette’s clit.

Olivia knew Alex was right, intellectually **_knew_** that pulling against her restraints would do nothing but cause herself injury, but she was helpless to stop her struggles. “Baby, please,” she whimpered, rocking her hips up toward Alex’s mouth.

Alex just shook her head and smiled before obliging to her lover’s plea and again lowering her mouth to the brunette’s wet, swollen folds. Starting at the bottom of Olivia’s entrance she ran her tongue the length of her lover’s sex, collecting the evidence of the brunette’s arousal on her tongue, savoring the tangy sweet flavor as she circled the swollen bud at the apex of Olivia’s slit before laying a broad flat lick across it.

Olivia managed to work her hands to where she could grab hold of the ties restraining her so she wasn’t just being held back but was actually holding herself back as she writhed under Alex’s quick and nimble tongue. God, how she loved the feeling of Alex’s mouth on her. Her hips were rocking hard against Alex’s mouth and she moaned gutturally as the blonde’s grip on her ass tightened as Alex struggled to hold her still.

Alex held onto her lover firmly as she made love to Olivia with her lips, her teeth and her tongue, playing the brunette’s body like a finely tuned instrument. Drawing out sounds and cries that under any other circumstance Olivia would vehemently deny every making. And she loved it. Loved each and every plea, whimper, cry, and scream that escaped the brunette as she loved her. A deft thrust of her tongue deep into the brunette had Olivia screaming her name to the ceiling, a series of fast, light flicks of her tongue over the pulsing bundle of nerves had Olivia chanting her name in supplication. It was the most enchanting symphony Alex had ever heard. And she needed more. Needed to hear more. So she dove back into her ministrations with a frightening amount of focus, teasing, flicking, sucking, stroking her lover higher and higher, reveling in every wonderful sound that tumbled from the brunette’s lips.

Olivia, tied to the bed, unable to touch and forced to just feel, felt like she was on fire. Her quads were beginning to burn from holding her hips up, the delicious fire in her belly was spreading, coursing through her entire body until her ears were buzzing and the room was beginning to spin. And all the while Alex’s tongue, that incredible, magical tongue, drove her higher and higher until she was convinced that she was, in fact, never going to come but instead stay trapped in this purgatory of pleasure.

She was sure, that is, until Alex slipped one hand around the outside of her thigh and over her hip and began rubbing firm, quick circles against her clit as the blonde’s tongue began fucking her into ecstasy. “Oh god. Fuck.” She writhed under Alex’s firmer touch, her body winding itself tighter and tighter under the new stimulation until she was primed and ready to snap.

Alex gasped in surprise when Olivia’s orgasm hit, the muscles of the brunette’s channel convulsing so tightly that she was unable to remove her tongue until that first contraction eased. “Mmm, that’s it Baby,” she encouraged as pulled back, lightening her touch against Olivia’s clit but never stopping her circular motions against the sensitive nub, trying to draw the brunette’s orgasm out as long as possible.

Both of them were surprised with another climax hit the brunette before the first had even finished. And a third not long after that. Alex’s fingers kept flying over Olivia’s clit as she tried to see how long she could keep her lover trapped in her release, her mind sobering with each fluttering contraction of the brunette’s muscles under her as she focused on giving Olivia as much pleasure as possible.

“Alex, Baby,” Olivia sobbed as she convulsed with what felt like a never ending wave of frisson pleasure. She loved the feeling of Alex’s touch, but the room around her was beginning to grow distinctly fuzzy along the edges the longer her release continued.

Understanding that Olivia was quite literally ready to pass out, Alex stopped the movement of her fingers against the brunette and quickly moved up over her lover to untie Olivia’s hands. “Shh,” she soothed as she released first Olivia’s right hand, and then her left. “It’s okay, Baby, I got you.”

“Al … lex,” Olivia croaked.

“I love you Liv,” Alex reassured her, laying a soft kiss to the inside of each of Olivia’s wrists which were rubbed raw from the brunette’s attempts to free herself.

“Love … love you,” Olivia murmured.

Alex laughed softly. “You’re completely gone, aren’t you?”

Olivia nodded. “Mmm. Gone.”

“Well, come back to me soon Baby.” Alex pressed a soft kiss to Olivia’s parted lips before reaching down to pull the blanket up over them. “Love you Liv … so, so much,” she whispered as she snuggled into Olivia’s side and closed her eyes contentedly.


	18. Chapter 18

“Almost ready to head downstairs?” Alex asked as she carefully folded her brother’s ties and slipped them into the front pocket on her hoodie before turning her attention to Olivia who was perched on the side of the bed massaging some lotion onto her abraded wrists.

Olivia nodded and answered without looking up from her wrists. “Yeah.”

“You okay Baby?” Alex murmured as she crossed to where her girlfriend was sitting on the bed. “Here, lemme see.” She crouched down in front of Olivia and carefully took the Detective’s right arm into her hand. “I didn’t realize you were pulling at them so much,” she sighed as she dipped her head to drop a soft kiss to the inside of the wounded wrist. “I really thought those ties wouldn’t leave a mark, I’m sorry.”

Olivia smiled gently as she pulled her arm out of Alex’s grasp. “It’s fine, Sweetheart,” she assured the blonde. “Really,” she insisted as she wrapped her arms around her lover and pulled Alex up onto her lap. “It was totally worth it.”

“Mmm,” Alex hummed happily as Olivia began peppering kisses onto her neck. “I love you Liv.”

“Love you too Alex,” Olivia murmured. “So, what’s the plan for today?”

“Well,” Alex drawled, a playful smile lifting her lips. “I know our original plan was to drive back tomorrow since you need to work on Sunday, but I was kind of thinking we could maybe head home a day early and…,” she paused for a moment as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

“And?” Olivia prodded gently.

Alex shrugged shyly. “Maybe start bringing some of your stuff over to my… our place?”

Olivia smiled. “I think that can be arranged – but don’t you want to spend some more time with your family?”

Alex sucked the corner of her lower lip between her teeth and shook her head, an almost guilty expression clouding her features. “I’d rather get you moved in with me. I’ll see them at New Years.”

Olivia frowned. “Not Christmas?”

Alex shook her head and smiled. “You have to be on call on Christmas because you got Thanksgiving off – so I thought I’d stay around the city to be with you. Our first real Christmas together.”

“You are so freaking adorable sometimes,” Olivia laughed softly as she pressed a soft kiss to Alex’s temple. “I like the sound of that. A lot.”

“Me too,” Alex murmured, lifting her lips to capture Olivia’s lips in a slow, tender kiss. When they broke their kiss she smirked and added, “Besides, I’m sure you’ve had more than your fill of the Crazy Cabot Clan and can’t wait to get out of here.”

“You would think so, wouldn’t you?” Olivia chuckled. “But for as strange as this sounds – I actually **_like_** your family. They’re a little unhinged at times, sure, but anybody can tell that you all love each other. I think it’s nice. And it’s definitely not boring around here.”

“You just like that they got me drunk on tequila,” Alex teased as she turned to bury her face in the crook of Olivia’s neck.

“Mmm, that did work out to my advantage, yes,” Olivia conceded with a grin. “I’ll have to thank them for that one – what’s an appropriate token of gratitude in your family?”

“That’s between you and them, Baby,” Alex chuckled. “Although I do seem to remember Jill saying something about personal checks or giftcards. Now, everybody should be down at breakfast already which will give me time to sneak back into Adam’s room and put these ties away.”

Olivia nodded and followed Alex out of her room into the hall where they were confronted with the door to Adam’s room flung wide open and Jill and Lindsay standing in the doorway laughing hysterically. She leaned in close and whispered in Alex’s ear, “Why is it that I’m thinking this is not a good thing?”

Alex turned and kissed the brunette quickly. “Probably because it isn’t.”

Having heard Alex speak, Jill turned to her cousin with a gigantic grin on her face. “Dude, Alex! Adam is **_totally_** freaking out right now. It’s awesome!”

“Dude?” Alex hiked a brow questioningly. “Jill, I think you’ve officially spent too much time of the wrong coast.”

Jill rolled her eyes dramatically. “Whatever. I happen to like it in San Fran. But look at your bro… what’s up with that?”

Alex moved closer to have a better look into her brother’s room, which was messier than it had ever been even during his teenage years. And certainly much, much, much messier than it was the night before when she’d snuck in there to purloin his neckties. “Looks like he’s searching for something,” she observed.

“Yeah,” Jill nodded. “I thought I heard him say something about a red silk tie, but I can’t be sure about that because the ‘fucks’ and the ‘goddamn its’ were kind of distracting.”

“Oh,” Alex drawled as she turned to face Olivia, a faint blush tinting her cheeks as she realized that the tie her brother was apparently looking for was stashed in the pocket of her sweatshirt at that very moment.

Jill caught the look that flashed between her cousin and Olivia and immediately knew something was up. “What?”

“Nothing,” Alex replied quickly.

Unfortunately for her she replied **_too_** quickly and this only served to heighten her cousin’s suspicions further. “Nuh-uh, not buying it. What’s going on? What do you know about his missing…”

“Goddamn it!” Adam’s exasperated voice interrupted her question. “I know brought two goddamn fucking ties. A red one and a blue one and I can’t find either of them!”

Alex’s blush deepened and Jill laughed loudly. “You didn’t!”

Olivia bit her lip and looked down at the floor and shook her head. “Should have known they would find out about it,” she muttered to herself.

Jill grinned as she appraised her cousin and Olivia. “So,” she drawled playfully. “Who got tied up?”

Unfortunately for Alex and Olivia, Adam had stopped his tirade when he noticed the foursome outside his door so he heard Jill’s question perfectly. “You stole my lucky ties for sex?!”

“Fuck,” Alex chuckled. “Yeah, here you go bro,” she pulled them out of her pocket and handed them out to her brother.

Jill grabbed hold of Alex’s arm and lifted the sleeve of the ADA’s sweatshirt to inspect her wrist. “No marks. Liv got tied up,” she announced.

“Oh God,” Olivia groaned.

Adam rounded on his baby sister. “Did you **_seriously_** tie Olivia up for sex with my lucky ties?!”

Olivia blushed as Alex nodded almost smugly.

“She’s a fucking cop!” he yelled. “Doesn’t she have handcuffs you can use or something?”

Jill laughed. “Please, Adam. You can’t use the standard issue cuffs, they leave giant welts on your wrists from where you tug at them and you end up with huge, purple…,” her voice trailed off as she realized what, exactly, she was saying and, most importantly, to whom she was saying it. “Oh.”

“Oh,” Adam repeated.

Alex nodded. “Jill’s right,” she confirmed. “You definitely don’t want to use the plain steel cuffs.”

“Oh God,” Lindsay and Olivia groaned.

“Look, I don’t see what the big deal is – your ties are just fine, I even hung them up when I was in the shower this morning so the steam would take the wrinkles out.”

“You don’t see what the big deal is?” Adam scoffed. “I have an important meeting with some very wealthy investors this morning…”

“Investors?” Lindsay whispered.

“He owns a couple clubs and bars up in P-town,” Alex explained without taking her eyes off her brother.

“I thought he was a lawyer?” Olivia asked.

“I am!” Adam bellowed, obviously annoyed that the girls were directing the conversation away from the main issue at hand. “Business Law, boring paperwork non-jock law!”

“Well somebody has his panties in a twist this morning, doesn’t he?” Jill chuckled.

“You took my lucky ties for sex!” he yelled, trying to get back to his original point.

“Heh,” Alex laughed. “They were pretty lucky for me too, you should definitely wear one and put the other in your pocket or something… you know, double up on the good karma.”

“You have ruined my lucky ties,” Adam whined pathetically.

“They’re perfectly fine,” Alex argued.

“No they’re not – you went and ruined the good Juju these ties held with your kinktastic sex games.”

Alex crossed her arms over her chest and grinned. “You poured the tequila.”

“Jill told me to!”

“Bullshit,” Jill scoffed. “You were in on that just as much as the rest of us.”

“Thank you for that, by the way,” Olivia interrupted.

“No problem,” Jill grinned.

“Ohmygod!” Adam yelled.

“Dude, Adam, don’t be such a queen,” Jill rolled her eyes. “So your sister used your lucky ties to have kinky sex with her girlfriend. What’s the big deal?”

Adam’s jaw fell open as he looked from one non-impressed woman to the next, astounded that they didn’t see the harm in using his lucky goddamn ties for kinky sex. “You suck,” he muttered as he took a step inside his room and slammed the door closed in the faces of the two extremely amused couples.

“Wow,” Jill chuckled. “Well, that was certainly a fun start to the day. Who wants breakfast?”

“I’m pretty hungry,” Alex agreed as she tucked her arm through Olivia’s and began walking down the hall.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“So, what do you two have planned for today?” Jill asked as she pushed her empty plate away and leaned back in her chair. “When do you have to head back to the city?”

“Well, the original plan was to drive back tomorrow, but we were thinking about heading back this afternoon instead,” Alex answered, smiling brightly as Olivia lifted their joined hands to her mouth to press a soft kiss to the back of the blonde’s knuckles.

Jill looked from her obviously excited cousin to the smiling detective on her right and nodded knowingly. “You’re anxious to start U-Hauling, aren’t you?”

Alex nodded. “I am. How about you guys? Any big plans?”

“I was going to take Lindsay into the city, she’s never been to Boston. Before you said you two were leaving early I was going to ask if you guys wanted to maybe go hit the town tonight with us – Adam was telling me yesterday about this great new club that just opened.”

“That sounds like fun,” Alex agreed.

“We don’t have to go back today, Sweetie,” Olviia murmured in Alex’s ear. “We can still stay the day and drive back tomorrow like we’d planned.”

Alex turned in her seat to look at Olivia. “But I want to get you…”

“Babe,” Olivia chuckled. “It’s not like I don’t have clothes at your place anyways – I’ll just swing by my place on my way home Sunday and grab some more stuff and bring it back with me then. It’s not a big deal.”

“Yeah!” Jill clapped happily. “I like her plan!”

“I dunno…” Alex drawled as she weighed going out with Jill and Lindsay (and most likely Adam and the rest of the Cousins) versus going back home to New York and getting Olivia moved into her apartment. Unable to make the decision herself, she asked Olivia softly, “Which would you prefer?”


	19. Chapter 19

Alex looked around the club as they followed Adam in past the doorman and she was pleasantly surprised to find that the décor was almost posh with rich polished mahogany wainscoting bisecting the walls and rich, warm maroons cut with black and silver finishing the elegant look. The music inside the club was another pleasant surprise, instead of the typical blast your eardrums out of your head volume level that was the norm at most clubs, the music here was loud enough to set the appropriate atmosphere while not overpowering the space to where conversation would be impossible.

“Wow,” Bryan whistled as he dropped into an oversized circular booth in the corner of the club that was reserved or them with a little sign that simply read, ‘Cabot’.

Jill nodded her agreement as she fell in beside Jake. “Yeah. Do you know the owner?”

“You could say that,” Adam chuckled as he spotted a familiar form weaving through the crowd and headed directly for them.

Alex followed her brother’s gaze and smirked as she realized what, exactly, was headed their way. The man looked to be around her age and was the epitome of the old ‘tall, dark, and handsome’ pedigree with rich black hair and warm olive skin, and the grin he flashed their table was pure, unbridled sex. Seeing as the only unattached person at the table was her brother, she immediately put two and two together. _He’s been holding out on me,_ she thought as she kicked her brother under the table, winking her approval as he turned to her with a guilty grin. “How long have you been keeping this one a secret?”

“Few months,” Adam replied vaguely as the proprietor stopped before the group. “Guys, this is Paul,” he waved at his friend. “Paul, this is the crazy Clan Cabot.”

Paul smiled warmly. “Pleasure to meet you all, I was quite disappointed when I learned that my schedule would not allow me to make it out to your Thanksgiving dinner,” he greeted the group, his voice flowing smoothly with an enchanting English lilt.

“Okay, I love the accent,” Mandy, Brian’s wife, whispered approvingly.

“The rest of the package isn’t bad either,” Kim agreed, a slight flush creeping up her neck as she realized her observation hadn’t exactly been quiet.

“Well, thank you,” Paul replied with a small bow and a megawatt grin.

Adam laughed. “Well, now that he’s obviously gotten the aesthetic approval of the group, let me introduce you all properly,” he smiled and pushed up from his seat to wrap a possessive arm around the other man’s waist. “Paul, I’d like to introduce you to my sister Alex and her girlfriend Olivia, and my cousins Jill, Jake, John and Bryan along with their distinctly better halves Lindsay, Michelle, Kim, and Mandy.”

The group offered a friendly set of _nice to meet you_ -s and _hi_ -s as the cousins all studied this new suitor for one of their own with a skeptical eye. Paul, recognizing the fact that he was about to face the Cabot inquisition, graciously pulled up a chair and sat down at the head of the table. “Okay, before you start the interrogation – how about some drinks?” he offered genially as he waved a waiter over to take their orders.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Around an hour later they were polishing off their second round of drinks, Paul had long since earned the full approval of the group and they were now just joking around as a group and enjoying each others’ company.

“Alright,” Adam grinned as he finished the last of his drink. “Down what you have left and let’s go hit the floor – I’ll show you all how it’s done.”

“Excuse me?” Jill smirked. “You’ll show us? Hate to break it to you bud, but you are so not the best dancer in the family.”

“Well, we all know it isn’t Bryan,” Alex quipped, earning a round of hearty laughter from the Cousins.

Olivia looked to Bryan and hiked a brow questioningly, which he answered with a grin and a short, “I got the white-boy genes… can’t dance to save my life.”

“Who would you contend is better?” Paul asked. “Because, I must say, Adam can most certainly dance.”

Deciding that since he’d already been identified as completely inept on the dance floor and therefore out of the running, Bryan took one for the team and spoke up. “Jill, Alex and Adam are probably the best of the group.”

Alex bristled at not being named the best outright, and she had two strong margaritas in her system to provide just the right amount of righteous indignation to do something about it. “I’m the best,” she informed Paul with a saucy smile.

“Nuh-uh,” Jill argued playfully.

“You know what will solve this?” Jake offered.

“DANCE OFF!” Alex, Adam and Jill all shouted.

“We’ll judge!” Jake yelled gleefully.

Paul laughed loudly as he allowed Adam to pull him to his feet and squeezed the blonde’s hand affectionately before offering a simple, “I can help with this one. I’ll see you out there,” before disappearing into the crowd.

“Where’s he going?” Olivia asked Adam as she and Lindsay were summarily yanked out of their seats by their determined girlfriends.

Adam shrugged. “Said he had an plan and that he’d meet us out there.”

The women shared a look and shrugged before following Adam out through the mass of bodies littering the dance floor to the very center where Paul stood waiting with a mischievous grin. “You lot ready?” he asked as he watched the rest of the ‘Cousins’ stop behind the challengers.

“Bring it, Brit-boy,” Jill laughed.

“Brit, Boy?” Paul laughed. “Oh, I love it! I will most certainly ‘bring it’,” he assured her as he pressed a button on his cell phone. Two seconds later the club’s lighting changed and the music switched from the house track it was on to something distinctly more… sexy. “Shall we?” he held a hand out to Adam who grinned and took it eagerly.

“Game on, bitch,” Jill muttered as she steered Lindsay to an open patch of floor.

“Ready?” Alex grinned as she maneuvered Olivia off to another open space.

“Would you care if I said no?” Olivia laughed.

Alex grinned. “I can always find somebody else to dance with me if you don’t want to.”

“Nobody besides me will ever dance with you again, Ms. Cabot,” Olivia growled possessively as she grabbed hold of Alex’s hips and pulled the ADA in close.

“I love it when you get all possessive,” Alex laughed as she slid in close to Olivia and started moving with the music.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Wow,” Mandy muttered as she watched the three pairs really let go. “And we’re supposed to pick who’s the best of them?”

Jake nodded. “Yeah. I wasn’t expecting Jill and Alex to put up much of a fight, but the girls have certainly gotten better since the last time we all did this.”

“It’s been like five years since they ended up in one of their ‘dance-offs’,” Bryan reminded him.

“Yeah,” Kim agreed. The last one had definitely been rather amusing because Adam, Alex and Jill had all been single at the time, so they’d resorted to breaking out the cabbage patch, the running man, and the robot… among other, more forgettable moves.

“They definitely move better with partners,” John voiced what everybody else was thinking.

The crowd around the Cousins realized that there was quite a show to be had in their midst and they all backed away from the groping, grinding, definitely very-dirty-dancing pairs to watch. Adam and Paul seemed to be the crowd favorite, but Alex and Olivia were putting on an equally entertaining performance. Jill and Lindsay were definitely the least talented of the bunch, but the majority of that had to do with Lindsay’s apparent embarrassment over being the center of attention so she was a little stiff with her movement.

“Come on Alex!” Bryan yelled, which got the crowd around them yelling encouragement as well. Of course, it also prompted a few patrons who knew Paul to cheer him and Adam on just as loudly so Jake threw his support behind his sister and managed to eek out a few catcalls and whistles for her and Lindsay from the crowd.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alex turned her back to Olivia and grinned lasciviously as she felt the detective’s hands slide over her hips and draw her in tight. Crowd of pervy gawkers or not, she was enjoying dancing with Olivia. The tequila she’d drank earlier in the evening more than likely didn’t hurt matters either, though. She lifted her hands above her head and bent them back to tangle in Olivia’s hair as they ground against each other and she moaned loudly as she felt Olivia’s mouth against her neck.

Olivia sucked against Alex’s pulse point before releasing it and quickly spinning the blonde back around to face her. She winked as she slipped her thigh between Alex’s legs and she moaned loudly when she felt Alex begin to grind herself down upon it. “You do realize what you’re doing to me, don’t you?” she growled as Alex’s left hand wrapped around her neck and the blonde moved in closer so that their breasts were brushing against each other with each and every movement.

“I do,” Alex assured her lover with a grin as she let her right hand fall to her side and swing seductively with her movement against the brunette.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“So, does this mean your family approves?” Paul chuckled as he danced closer to Adam, not at all put-off by the crowd surrounding them or the extra attention they were receiving.

Adam grinned and nodded as he moved with his boyfriend. “I think it does,” he laughed.

“I must say, your sister moves quite well,” Paul noted as he watched Alex and Olivia dancing together a few feet away.

Adam looked over and groaned. “She’s gotten better,” he muttered as he drew Paul in closer. “Time to up the ante – you in?”

Paul winked and turned up the heat in his own moves. “When am I not?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jill stole a glance at Alex and Adam and her jaw dropped when she realized that the two of them were basically having sex with their clothes on in the middle of the dance floor. Realizing that if she wanted to win she needed to step up her game, she moved in closer to Lindsay and leaned in to rest her forehead against her Inspector’s. “Look at me,” she murmured, forcing Lindsay’s eyes off of the crowd that was surrounding them and onto her own ice blue orbs.

“Sorry,” Lindsay muttered.

Jill smiled and captured Lindsay’s lips in a hot, deep, hungry kiss that left the both of them gasping for breath. “Forget them, Lindsay Boxer,” she purred. “Dance with me.”

“I am,” Lindsay argued weakly.

“No,” Jill shook her head and reclaimed the brunette’s lips in another scorching kiss as she physically moved Lindsay’s right hand onto her ass. She flexed her fingers over Lindsay’s, digging both sets of digits into the muscle, before letting go. She kissed Lindsay again when the brunette left her hand where it was. “Hold me close and dance,” she winked as she began to move even more provocatively against her lover.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Cousins and the Crowd broke into a thunderous round of applause and cheers and whistles when the song ended and the three pairs, who had gotten so wrapped up in each other that they’d forgotten the mass of people observing them, waved to their admirers.

Sensing a chance to really take the embarrassment level higher, and being the only one without a family member out in the melee, Bryan stepped out to stand with his Cousins as Paul pulled out his phone and muttered something into it. Bryan assumed that Paul was speaking to the DJ because the music stayed off and he grinned at him before turning to address the crowd.

“Did you like that show?!” he yelled and was answered with roaring cheers and more clapping and hollering. “Well, it all started because the three blondes,” he waved at his cousins, “are an extremely competitive group and were all claiming to be the best dancer.”

The crowd laughed and cheered some more.

“So, we need your help,” he called out loudly, gladly passing the buck so that the losers wouldn’t get pissed at them. “Who do you think was the best? Was it Adam and Paul?”

The crowd went wild – clapping, whistling, cheering, stomping their feet, and doing anything else they could think of to make noise.

Bryan ginned and gestured toward Jill and Lindsay. “Was it Jill and Lindsay?”

The crowd cheered loudly, but the sound level was nowhere near that which Adam and Paul received.

“Or was it Alex and Olivia?”

The crowd blew up, making just as much noise for the two women as they did for Adam and Paul. Bryan looked back at Jake and John for help but the two men just shrugged. The sound level sounded the same to them.

“Well, I think it’s a tie,” Bryan announced with a disbelieving laugh. “Should we have Alex and Adam go one on one?”

“YEAH!” Olivia yelled and, judging by the cheers from the crowd, everybody else in the club agreed.

Alex turned to face her lover and shook her head. “You traitor!”

Olivia smiled and leaned in to kiss Alex hungrily. “What can I say – I like watching you move.”

“Another round it is!” Bryan laughed as he motioned Paul over. “Could you have your DJ put on something appropriate?”

“Not a problem mate,” Paul assured Bryan with a grin as he pulled out his phone once more.

The music started back up and Alex and Adam turned to face each other. “Ladies first,” Adam bowed gallantly.

Alex shook her head and grinned. “Nuh-uh big guy. It’s your boy toy’s club, you start us off.”

“Okay,” Adam grinned as he started dancing to the thumping house beat.

Alex rolled her eyes and muttered to herself, “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” as she, too, started dancing alongside her brother.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Olivia laughed as she was pulled into a one-armed hug by Bryan as they backed away from the now dueling siblings. “I can’t believe you did that!” she told him.

“ME?!” Bryan squeaked. “I can’t believe you backed me up! You do know that if she doesn’t win you’re not getting any later, right?”

Olivia just smiled and shook her head. “You’re forgetting my secret weapon, my friend.”

“Mister Patron?”

“Exactly,” Olivia winked as she fell into line with the cousins to watch Alex and Adam dancing. “It’s, like, Angry Alex’s kryptonite.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alex laughed loudly as she watched her brother start doing the running man. “We’re not doing this again, are we?”

Adam winked and shrugged. “If you can’t take the heat… have your forgotten your classic moves?”

“I don’t think the running man counts as a ‘classic’,” Alex informed him as she started doing it herself. “But if that’s how you want to play it, bring it on.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Oh shit!” Jake laughed as he wrapped a conciliatory arm around his sister’s shoulders. “Jilly, you should be happy you’re out,” he informed her, nodding indicatively at Alex and Adam who were now doing the sprinkler.

“Oh my god,” Olivia laughed as she dug in her pocket for her phone. “I gotta get a video of this!”

Of course, as soon as Olivia got her phone switched to video mode the show only got better… or, worse, depending on your point of view.

“Oh my god,” Mandy laughed as she pointed out at the dance floor. “I can’t believe they’re really doing that one!”

‘That one’ being the cringe-tastic move where Alex pantomimed casting a hook and ‘catching’ Adam who gyrated and flailed all the way back to her.

“Wow,” Paul muttered, a look of pure disbelief on his face. “Do they always act like that when they’re together?” he asked as he watched Adam and Alex slipping seamlessly from the fishing thing to the robot.

“Actually, from what I’ve seen in the last few days, this is pretty well behaved,” Olivia informed him.

“Yeah,” Jake grinned. “At least they haven’t… done… that. Never mind.”

The group stared slack jawed as Alex and Adam started doing the swim, which Adam segued into a rather impressive moonwalk while Alex did a little bit of vogue-ing. Madonna and Michael Jackson impersonations completed, Adam spun Alex around as they both laughed hysterically and began dancing more normally to finish the song.

When the song ended the crowd went wild and Alex and Adam graced their audience with a couple of rather theatrical bows before he picked her up and spun her around in a circle laughing as they were surrounded by the rest of the Clan.

Olivia opened her arms and Alex laughingly fell into them as she buried her face in the detective’s neck. “I can’t believe you did that,” Olivia laughed as she wrapped her arms around Alex’s waist and held her close. “You two are insane!”

“So who’s the best?!” Bryan yelled. “Adam?!” he grabbed Adam’s arm and hefted it into the air as the crowd clapped and cheered. “Or Alex?!” he held his arm out at the ADA who was still hiding in her lover’s embrace.

The Cousins shared a look as they gauged the crowd’s noise level and came to a unanimous decision. “ALEX WINS!” they yelled as a group.

Alex laughed and let go of Olivia long enough to go back out for another bow and a wave before she yelled at Paul, “Okay, now get your DJ to start the music back up so I can go hide!”

Paul smiled and obligingly rang the DJ back up, and moments later the music was pumping through the club’s speakers and the crowd that had gathered broke up. “Better?”

“Much,” Alex sighed. “Thank you. I think I need another drink after all that.”

Paul nodded an motioned another server over. “What’ll it be?”

“Patron,” Alex informed the waiter. “Just… bring the bottle and some glasses and we’ll take care of the rest.”


	20. Chapter 20

Olivia stole a quick glance at her watch as the table around her erupted into gales of laughter over the retelling of one of Adam’s more embarrassing moments involving caramel sauce, rollerblades, a riding crop, and a Superman costume. Her peripheral vision caught sight of an arm sneaking across the table in front of her and she reflexively reached out to grab the offending wrist.

“What?” Jake grinned.

She stared at him challengingly. “No.”

“No, what?” Alex asked as she turned to the argument taking place to her left. “Oh! More tequila, you’re awesome Jakey. Fill ‘er up!” she cried happily as she held her glass out for her cousin.

“I have a gun and I’m not afraid to use it,” Olivia growled at the smirking blonde who was happily refilling Alex’s glass.

“Hey! Don’t blame me,” he grinned as he set the bottle back down in the center of the table. “She asked for it.”

“You guys didn’t get enough of a show last night?” Olivia retorted, her voice giving away her pure exasperation at the situation, as she watched Alex drink the tequila in her shot glass in a single gulp.

“What are they talking about?” Paul asked with a grin. After some of the stories the group had shared in their quest to one-up each other by sharing embarrassing stories, he had a feeling that this would be an entertaining one indeed.

Alex didn’t hear her brother’s boyfriend’s question because she got distracted by Olivia’s breasts. Again. “Liv, please?”

“No, Alex,” Olivia murmured. She was beginning to hate whoever it was that invented tequila.

Alex licked her lips and smiled seductively, or as seductively as she was able to considering her modest level of inebriation, as she argued pitifully, “Liv, but they’re so…”

“Lonely!” The Cousins yelled and promptly fell into a hysterical fit of giggles. Alex wasn’t the only one who was feeling the effects of Mister Patron.

“I’m sorry?” Paul frowned. None of this was making any sense to him.

The Cousins were still laughing hysterically so Olivia bit the bullet and explained the situation to the Englishman. “Tequila makes Alex horny,” she muttered as she grabbed hold of her girlfriend’s wandering hands. Again. “Very, very horny.”

A wide grin stretched his lips as he watched the short haired detective grab hold of Alex’s wandering hands. “I understand completely,” he assured her as he wrapped an affectionate arm over Adam’s shoulders. “It’s vodka for Adam.”

“It’s tequila for Jill too,” Lindsay chimed in, her voice breaking off in a strangled gasp as she jumped out of her seat and turned to glare at her girlfriend.

“What?” Jill asked, batting her eyelashes and smiling innocently as she returned her wandering hand to her own lap.

“White wine for Bryan,” Mandy chimed in.

“I’m telling you, that boy has a touch of the gay in him,” Alex whispered loudly at her brother who grinned and reached across the table to give her a fist-bump.

“Hey!” Bryan yelled.

“Honey, you do,” Mandy placed a hand on his wrist affectionately. “But it’s okay, really, I still love you.”

“Oooooooooh!” the Cousins sang merrily.

Olivia, who had gotten distracted by the attack on Bryan’s masculinity, failed to notice that Alex had worked one of her hands free until that hand found her crotch. “Hiyee!” she yelped as knowing fingers cupped her through her trousers and began massaging her roughly.

“Everything okay over there?” John laughed as Olivia quite obviously removed Alex’s hand from her crotch.

“You have no grounds to tease me John,” Olivia glared. “Your wife was the one asking me for pointers for you, remember?”

This reminder, of course, caused the Cousins to start laughing raucously once more as John gave an embarrassed nod and murmured, “Touché, Olivia, touché.”

“I will never miss a Cabot family function again,” Paul murmured.

Realizing that Olivia wasn’t going to let her put her hand back onto the detective’s crotch, Alex moved their joined hands to her own as she leaned in to whisper teasingly against Olivia’s ear, “I am so wet for you right now.”

“Oh god,” Olivia groaned, her eyes reflexively fluttering closed as she felt the heat emanating from Alex’s center through her slacks.

The group turned to watch as Olivia’s cheeks flushed and Alex whispered something else into her lover’s ear and punctuating whatever she was saying with a slow, deliberate kiss to the brunette’s lips before sliding gracefully out of the booth. “We’re gonna go dance a bit,” Alex informed the group. “Don’t have too much fun without us.”

“I think that sounds like a plan,” Jill agreed as she pushed at Lindsay’s shoulder indicatively. “We’ll go back out too.”

Soon the table was once again empty as the group descended on the dance floor, this time breaking off in their own directions so they’d be able to enjoy themselves without the rest of the Cousins mocking their dancing skills, or lack thereof, as the case may be.

Alex smiled as she wrapped her arms around Olivia’s neck and danced in close to the laughing brunette. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Olivia replied seriously as she leaned in to capture Alex’s lips in a slow, searing kiss that was the perfect blend of adoration and desire.

“Mmm,” Alex purred as the need for air caused them to break apart. “You having fun?”

Olivia smiled and tightened her grip on Alex’s hips, pulling the blonde in closer onto the thigh she’d snaked between her legs. “Absolutely,” she answered with a grin as she watched Alex’s lids flutter closed and her head fall back as she rocked down hard onto her leg. After a few minutes of slow grinding the song that was playing ended and was promptly replaced with one that was faster and heavier on the thumping bass which spurred Alex to grind faster and harder against her leg. She tightened her grip of Alex’s hips as they moved against each other in a controlled frenzy of erotic motion.

The faster song eventually gave way to one that was distinctly slower, the beat of the pounding bass thumping at a speed that reminded Olivia of a steady heartbeat. The beat was hypnotic and seductive. Erotic. Carnal. It was, quite simply, sex personified and Alex moved to it with a fluid ease that caused strangers around them to stop and stare and had Olivia feeling as if it were way too warm inside the crowded club.

Alex smiled as she moved in closer, slipping her own leg between Olivia’s as she rocked against the brunette’s. She licked her lips and smiled as she ran her hands over Olivia’s shoulders and down her strong back until she was grasping her lover’s hips and guiding them against her own. She pulled Olivia into her easy rhythm and they moved together, beat for beat, hips rocking and pushing together as the need to feel, the need to be felt grew to a nearly overwhelming level. She leaned in to kiss Olivia hungrily, achingly aware of the way her pulse was pounding in her veins, her lips, her clit; all of her aching, straining, needing to be touched, stroked, caressed, fucked.

Olivia watched Alex’s mouth fall open as the blonde leaned in touch their foreheads together as they moved. She moaned softly as Alex’s fingers dug into her back, pulling her closer as they swayed together. She knew this was a dangerous game they were playing but found herself unable, or, more precisely, unwilling, to stop. It felt too good. Alex felt so good that she didn’t want to stop.

Part of her wanted it to go on forever.

Enjoying the tease, the promise of what would undoubtedly happen later when they were alone, she spun Alex around in her arms and pulled the blonde roughly against her as she began a slow, rotating grind against her ass. She lowered her lips to the long, graceful column of Alex’s throat and worshipped it with hot, wet, heavy kisses that drew strangled gasps and moans from Alex’s lips.

Alex groaned as Olivia’s hips rhythmically bumped against her ass and she backed into the touch, wanting, needing more of it. “Liv,” she moaned as she reached behind her head to tangle her fingers in the detective’s hair as she rocked herself back harder into Olivia’s hips.

“You feel so good,” Olivia murmured, daring to run her hands up Alex’s stomach until they were resting just under the blonde’s heaving chest.

“More,” Alex whimpered as she rocked against her lover.

“We’ll be going home soon, Baby,” Olivia murmured against Alex’s ear.

Alex whimpered and spun back around in her partner’s arms. Home sounded wonderful, but she wasn’t going to make it that long. “Can’t wait,” she groaned before she crushed her lips to Olivia’s in a hungry, devouring kiss that was full of desperate need. “Need to feel you,” she grunted softly as they broke apart. “Need you to touch me,” she elaborated roughly as she thrust her hips forward into the brunette’s.

“Oh, God,” Olivia groaned as Alex began sucking hungrily against her neck. “So good. Fuck,” she gasped as Alex bit down roughly on the spot she’d been teasing with her lips. “Baby, not here,” she murmured as she took a small step back away from her lover.

“Liv,” Alex moaned.

“I know,” Olivia assured her. “Let’s go… find… somewhere…” her voice trailed off as she spotted the restrooms just to the left of the bar. Not exactly private, but good enough considering the state Alex was worked up into. “Follow me,” she muttered against her lover’s ear as she took hold of her hand and led the way across the dance floor.

They eased past the bar which had a crowd three deep waiting for drinks and slipped into the women’s restroom that was thankfully not too crowded. Olivia was pleased to see that the restroom was as classy as the rest of the club, the stalls having actual walls between them and thick, heavy looking doors which would provide the optimum amount of privacy. Certainly much more than she’d been expecting. She opened the door to the largest stall and ushered Alex inside, neither of them noticing the smirking glances that were shot their way as they slipped out of sight.

As soon as the door was shut, and locked, their mouths became fused together as Olivia pushed Alex back against the wall, possessively grabbing both of the blonde’s thin wrists in her hands and pinning them above their heads as she forcefully claimed Alex’ lips with her own. She thrust her tongue past parted, inviting lips and vigorously stroked deep inside Alex’s mouth, demanding the blonde’s submission. Submission which Alex readily gave, eager to feel her lover’s hands and mouth upon her body.

“Liv, please,” Alex gasped as they broke apart, arching up into her lover, delighting in the feeling of Olivia’s breasts pressing into her own.

Olivia groaned and gathered both of Alex’s wrists in her left hand as she slid her right down to roughly palm Alex’s left breast as she laid a series of hot, heavy kisses across the blonde’s jaw to the sensitive spot just below her right ear. “Mmm,” she moaned appreciatively as Alex writhed against her. She delivered a none-too-gentle nip to Alex’s pulse point, which earned her another strangled gasp of pleasure, before moving her mouth to reclaim the blonde’s lips in a deep, hungry kiss.

“Fuck yes,” Alex whimpered as she felt Olivia’s hand slide down her stomach. “I need you Liv,” she pleaded as the brunette quickly opened and unzipped her slacks.

“I know,” Olivia growled as she tightened her grip of Alex’s wrists above their heads and deftly slid her hand into the blonde’s pants, a low moan escaping her as her hand encountered a veritable ocean of want. “My god, Alex,” she gasped as she easily slid two fingers deep into her lover.

“Mmm, yes, Liv,” Alex moaned softly as Olivia pushed into her and the heel of the brunette’s palm crashed into her straining clit.

Olivia, aware of the fact that they **_had_** to be quiet but thankful for the music pumping in through the speakers in the ceiling so they didn’t have to be silent, covered Alex’s mouth with her own as she began a steady, hard pace in and out of her needy lover. In and out, through tight, clinging velvet that sought to draw her in deeper and fought to keep her from retreating. She would never tire of this feeling. Of feeling Alex around her fingers. “You feel so good,” she murmured as she pulled back to breathe, her body responding violently to the lust she saw swirling in Alex’s stormy blue eyes.

“I think that’s my line,” Alex chuckled throatily as she rotated her hips into Olivia’s hand, eagerly dropping her hands to the brunette’s shoulders as Olivia released her wrists. “My God Liv, the things you do to me,” she murmured as Olivia’s left hand moved under her shirt, pulling down the cup of her bra to eagerly massage her breast. “Fuck,” she hissed as the brunette pinched her nipple and pushed up deep into her. “So good,” she whimpered as Olivia continued to play at her breast, causing the fire in her belly continued to grow hotter, intensely hotter with each pinch and every thrust of the brunette’s hand.

“That’s it, Baby,” Olivia encouraged as she pushed in deep and rocked her palm hard against Alex’s clit as she roughly rolled Alex’s nipple between her thumb and forefinger, delivering the perfect blend of pain and pleasure that never failed to push the blonde over the edge. She watched Alex attentively as she fucked her, delighting in the sheen of sweat that beaded the blonde’s brow and the flush that crept up her cheeks. Alex was always beautiful, but she was even more beautiful when she came. Recognizing the signs of Alex’s impending release, she dove back in and claimed her lover’s lips with her own, hungrily swallowing the cries of pleasure that escaped Alex as wave after pleasurable wave rolled through her.

When the need for oxygen became too great, Alex turned her head to the side and gasped for breath as her body continued to convulse around Olivia’s fingers. “Oh god,” she moaned, lifting her left hand to her mouth to muffle her words. “So good. So. Fucking. Good.”

“Mmm,” Olivia agreed wordlessly as she nibbled against Alex’s throat as the spasms rocking the blonde’s body slowed until, with a final tensing and easing of muscles, Alex relaxed against the wall.

They stayed there, joined together in the most intimate of ways until Alex came back to herself enough to press a soft kiss to Olivia’s lips and reach down to gently direct her lover’s hand away from her body. “Thank you,” she murmured as she guided Olivia’s hand from her pants.

“My…” Olivia started but forgot what she was going to say as she watched Alex lift her hand and cover her fingers with her mouth. “Oh god,” she moaned as Alex’s tongue stroked and swirled around her fingers, cleaning every last trace of herself off of them.

“Alex is fine,” the ADA grinned. “I love you.”

“Love you too,” Olivia murmured, leaning in and kissing Alex hungrily. “We need to get home.”

Alex licked her lips and nodded. “I agree. Let’s get cleaned up and we’ll get out of here.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Mmm,” Olivia murmured between kisses as Alex forcefully led her backwards through the sitting room and into the bedroom. She had cooled down after their encounter at the club, but the moment they had made their way up to the second floor and Alex’s mouth and hands were back upon her body she found herself immediately ready and desperate once again.

“Want you,” Alex grunted as she worked Olivia’s shirt off and made quick work of the brunette’s bra as well.

“Oh God,” Olivia moaned as Alex’s hands palmed her breasts possessively and the blonde’s long, nimble fingers began rolling and tweaking her nipples, sending jolts of electricity coursing through her body to settle in a flood of desire between her legs; she wanted nothing more than for Alex to take her.

“Do… you… trust… me?” Alex asked between hot, hungry kisses as she worked her way down Olivia’s throat to take an already erect nipple into her mouth.

Olivia moaned and arched her back, trying to force more of herself into Alex’s mouth. “Yes,” she gasped as she tangled one hand into messy blonde silk to hold Alex to her breast.

Alex smiled around the captured nipple and lashed it with her tongue. “Mmm,” she hummed as she sucked hard against the pebbled tip as she pulled away, stretching the bud until it fell from her lips with a wet _pop_. She lifted her head to kiss Olivia hungrily, thrusting her tongue deep into the brunette’s mouth and exploring it eagerly. When the need for air forced them apart, she looked deep into Olivia’s eyes as she whispered throatily, “I want to fuck you.”

“God yes,” Olivia pleaded as her sex and her nipples clenched expectantly.

Alex growled and claimed Olivia’s mouth once more in a series of long, hard, deep, devouring kisses that left the both of them gasping for breath. “Where did you put it?” she asked as the need to take Olivia overwhelmed her and she began literally ripping her clothes from her body.

“What?” Olivia asked, as she mimicked the blonde’s actions and began pulling off her remaining clothes as well.

Alex licked her lips and winked. “Woody.”

“Woody?”

“Mmm.” Alex nodded. “I named him Woody. Where. Is. He?”

Understanding dawned and Olivia’s mouth formed a perfect ‘O’ as she realized what Alex wanted. Not that she was necessarily opposed, per se, but it was certainly something new for them. “In the nightstand,” she whispered.

“May I?” Alex asked, wanting to make sure it was something Olivia was comfortable with.

“You want to ?”

“Mmm,” Alex nodded, her smile wolfish and her eyes hungry. She definitely wanted to.

“Okay,” Olivia whispered, laying a tentative kiss on Alex’s lips.

Alex smiled and leaned around her willing lover to open the nightstand drawer and pull out the toy. She quickly stepped into the harness and smiled as Olivia bushed her hands out of the way to readjust the straps to fit her slimmer frame. Once everything was in place, she pulled Olivia in close and kissed the brunette tenderly, the toy phallus pushing up against her stomach as their hips pressed together.

“I want you,” Alex murmured as she ran her hands up and down Olivia’s sides, brushing over the outer swell of the brunette’s breasts with each pass. She rolled her hips forward gently as she kissed Olivia, letting her get used to the idea of being on the receiving end of the appendage. Once she felt Olivia relax, she used her hips to nudge the brunette backwards onto the bed and climbed up right after her, using her body to steer them both up towards the pillows.

Olivia palmed Alex’s breasts as she settled back against the pillows, pleased that the blonde seemed to want her this way, where she could look, kiss, and touch wherever she wanted as Alex took her. Now that the shock of Alex’s sudden request had worn off, she was eagerly looking forward to it.

Alex smiled and grabbed a pillow from the side of Olivia’s head, pulling it with her as she sat back onto her heels. “Lift,” she instructed with a tap on Olivia’s hip. The brunette complied easily and she quickly slid the pillow under Olivia’s hips. “Perfect,” she murmured as she ran a finger through the wet, swollen folds that were now open and displayed for her.

Olivia writhed under Alex’s touch, her entire body jerking violently as those teasing, searching fingers brushed over her clit, and she moaned wantonly as she watched the blonde take the arousal she’d gathered on her fingers and coat the length of the cock with it. “Please,” she begged, rocking her hips up towards the hovering appendage. She’d had more than enough foreplay, she just wanted to get on with it.

Alex smiled and used one hand to guide the toy into position as she placed her other hand on the outside of Olivia’s hip. She rocked forward in a series of slow, teasing thrusts that did little more that push gently at the brunette’s opening with never actually penetrating. She savored the sight of Olivia spread open below her and waiting expectantly for that first, definitive push that would bury the length of the toy inside her. “You are beautiful,” she murmured as her eyes raked up the brunette’s torso, past full, heavy breasts to settle on her lover’s smoldering mahogany eyes.

“Alex,” Olivia murmured with a playful smirk.

“Hmm?” Alex asked as she stared into Olivia’s eyes and continued her light, teasing rocks.

“I thought you were going to fuck me.”

Alex’s breath hitched in her throat and she licked her lips as she nodded. “I am,” she agreed as she finally pushed her hips forward with enough force to drive the toy in to its hilt, a frisson of pleasure rolling down her spine at Olivia’s loud moan of pleasure at the penetration.

“So good, Alex,” Olivia gasped as Alex’s hips rocked back slowly and thrust forward again.

Alex bit her lip and leaned forward, resting her weight on her hands so she could stare down into Olivia’s eyes as she set a steady rhythm, enjoying the sensation of Olivia rubbing, clenching, grasping the length of the cock and pressure the strap between her legs rubbing against her clit with every plunge and retreat of her hips. “You feel so good,” she murmured as she found her stroke. “So good,” she groaned as she felt Olivia’s walls clamp down along the shaft, fighting its departure as she rolled her hips back.

“I think,” Olivia smiled as Alex drove back into her, “that’s my line,” she finished with a moan as the blonde buried the cock inside her and began rolling her hips in a circular grind against her clit. “Fuck, so good.”

“Mmm,” Alex moaned in agreement as the strap against her clit mimicked the circular motion she was grinding against Olivia. She gasped as Olivia’s hands latched onto her breasts, rolling and kneading the mounds as she hovered above her, the dual sensation pushing her that much closer to the edge. Determined to see Olivia come first, she set to her stroke with a newfound level of energy, her hips rocking back and rolling forward at a steadily increasing tempo until she was literally slamming her hips into Olivia at the end of every thrust.

Olivia gasped at the blonde’s more forceful thrusts, delighting in the electric pulse that shot through her every time Alex’s hips pushed into her clit, and moved her hands from the blonde’s breasts to the sheets beside her as she rode the wave that was building with a frightening intensity inside her. “So good, Alex. Fuck. Baby. So goddamn good,” she grunted as Alex pounded into her.

Alex pushed herself harder and faster, grunting in exertion as she drove each thrust home. She watched Olivia’s head thrash from side to side and knew that the brunette was close, so incredibly close. As she pulled out after a particularly ferocious thrust, she shifted her weight onto her right arm and slid her left hand down Olivia’s body and used her thumb to press firmly against the brunette’s swollen, pulsing clit rubbing it in tight, tight circles as she buried the length of the shaft inside her again.

“Aaaaaaalexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx!” Olivia screamed as she came undone, her walls clenching around the toy buried inside her and holding it there.

Alex came with a small gasp not long after Olivia and once the overwhelming force of her orgasm eased to a series of trembling, quaking spasms she began thrusting slowly, gently in and out of her lover – using the friction of the toy inside Olivia and the strap against her clit to extend both of their orgasms for as long as possible.

When the final tremor left them both gasping for breath, Alex gently pulled out and quickly unhooked the harness. She tossed the toy onto the blanket at the foot of the bed, and pulled the pillow out from under Olivia’s hip, before she settled back down and covered Olivia’s body with her own. Hip to hip, breast to breast. Not one inch of skin ignored or neglected. “Mmm, Liv,” she purred as she nuzzled the brunette’s cheek.

“You were pretty mmm, yourself, Ms. Cabot,” Olivia replied with a silly smile.

Alex smiled and laid a soft kiss to Olivia’s lips. “I liked that,” she confessed softly. “A lot.”

Olivia grinned and turned to capture Alex’s lips in a slow, sensual kiss. “I liked that too,” she whispered once the kiss broke. “A lot.”


	21. Chapter 21

Alex looked around the bedroom with a careful eye, searching for anything that either she or Liv might have forgotten to pack, but nothing caught her eye. The room was pretty well spotless. The bed was stripped with the sheets piled on the floor near the door for the housekeeper to collect for the wash, and their towels, still damp from their morning shower, were piled atop those. She’d opened the drapes once they were both dressed and the morning sun streamed through the large windows warming the room and for the life of her, she couldn’t find anything else to do.

“Hey,” Olivia murmured as she slid in behind her pensive looking lover and gathered the blonde in her arms. “You okay?”

Alex nodded and smiled softly to herself. “Yes. More than okay. Today we head home and start the rest of our lives together.”

“Mmm,” Olivia hummed as she pressed a tender kiss to Alex’s neck. “I like the sound of that. Should we go have some breakfast before we hit the road?”

“I think that sounds like an excellent plan,” Alex replied as she spun in Olivia’s arms to wrap her own around the brunette’s neck. “I love you.”

Olivia smiled and leaned in to kiss Alex gently. “As I love you.”

Alex shuddered as a pleasurable chill ran down her spine at the feeling of Olivia’s lips gliding against her own. “We better get moving,” she murmured, kissing Olivia chastely for emphasis. “Because if we stay in here and you keep kissing me like that, we’re never going to get out of here.”

Olivia licked her lips and grinned, but before she could respond the sounds of arguing voices interrupted her. “Who’s that?” she wondered.

Alex furrowed her brow and listened closer. “Sounds like Jill. C’mon, let’s go see what’s going on,” she said as she pulled away from Olivia’s embrace. She crossed the room quickly, unlocked and opened the door to the hall and, remembering the year of the errant lacrosse ball, tentatively stuck her head out to see what was going on. “Oh my,” she chuckled.

“What?” Olivia asked as she followed Alex out into the hall. “Oh,” she murmured as the ‘what’ became instantly obvious.

Jill and Adam had obviously been wrestling inside Jill and Lindsay’s room over something sparkly before their fracas spilled out into the hall. The skinny DDA was jumping around like an angry monkey and Adam was laughing hysterically as he danced and dodged her reaching, seeking hands. From where they were standing Alex and Olivia couldn’t see exactly what it was, but by the nearly fuchsia hue of Jill’s skin it was undoubtedly something embarrassing.

“Give it here,” Jill growled as she shoved Adam back into the wall.

Adam laughed and held the object straight up above his head so that Jill couldn’t reach it. “Nuh-uhhhhh,” he sang as he squirmed away from her. “I can’t believe you got a sparkly one!”

“What is it?” Olivia muttered.

Alex cocked her head and stared intently at the item in her brother’s hand until she realized what it was. “Oh my god,” she chuckled. “Let’s just say it’s a good thing Woody is safely packed away.”

“Oh,” Olivia drawled.

“Dammit Adam!” Jill screeched. “This isn’t funny. Give. It. Back!”

Olivia looked from the sparkly dildo to Alex and grinned. “Didn’t Abbie have a sparkly one?”

Adam hopped around Jill and ran back into the DDA’s bedroom as he sang, “Nah-nah-na-na-na, you can’t catch me.”

“That’s right!” Alex laughed as she reached down to take Olivia’s hand, tugging the detective into step as she moved to follow the show into Jill’s room. “Maybe Lindsay and Abbie are genetically predisposed to liking sparkly strap-ons,” she hypothesized as they stopped inside the door to watch Jill execute a perfect flying tackle which sent both she and Adam onto the unmade bed. “Wow, wonder when she learned how to do that?”

“They better watch out for those open suitcases,” Olivia noted. “It’ll hurt if they land on one of those reinforced corners.”

“Do I want to know how you know that?” Alex smirked.

“Probably not,” Olivia muttered.

“Give. It. Back,” Jill growled as she dove for the toy in Adam’s hand.

Of course, this was the moment Lindsay wandered out of the en suite, looking down at the shirt she was finishing buttoning up as she asked, “Hey, Jill, have you packed Edward? Whatever bag he’s going in is going to need to get check…,” her voice trailed off as she noticed the three gaping mouths staring at her and the look of murder in her girlfriend’s eyes. “Good morning.”

Alex arched a brow and asked, “Edward?”

Olivia and Adam blew up at the dry, almost conversational tone Alex managed to inflict into her question causing Lindsay to flush scarlet to the tips of her ears and Jill to flop face first onto the bed to hide. “Um… well…,” the Inspector stuttered.

Jill bolted upright and pointed at the ceiling. “I will pay you to forget this ever happened.”

Adam laughed and pulled out his iPhone to take a picture of the toy. “Not gonna happen baby-cakes,” he told her. “We all have trust funds… a few hundred isn’t going to buy our silence.”

Olivia, feeling bad for the obviously mortally embarrassed couple, took hold of Alex’s elbow and steered the blonde back through the door. “I’m hungry,” she said loud enough to make sure her voice would carry. “Let’s go get breakfast before we hit the road.”

Adam turned and dropped the sparkly dildo onto the bed. “You’re leaving?”

“Yeah,” Alex nodded as she shrugged out of Olivia’s grip and moved across to grab her brother by the arm and march him out of the room as well. “Which means you have exactly seventy minutes to explain to my why the hell you never told me about Paul.”

“Okay,” Adam laughed as he wormed his way out of Alex’s grip. He punched a couple buttons on his phone and then slid it into his pocket with an evil, impish grin on his face. “My work here is done anyways, let’s get some grub!”

“What does he mean his work here is done?” Lindsay wondered aloud.

Down the hall a door crashed open with enough force to rattle the pictures hanging on the wall. “ADAM!” Bryan’s voice screeched. “Why the hell did you send me a picture of a sparkly dick?”

“Oh fuck,” Jill groaned.

“Isn’t this a direct violation of Cabot rules of combat 14A?” Lindsay asked, impressing all the Cousins present with her recollection of their family rules.

“Nope,” Adam replied gleefully. “You weren’t ‘in the act’… it’s legal. Completely, blissfully legal. I’m sure you’ll be hearing from Jake and John…”

“ADAM!” Jill’s brother’s voices yelled in perfect unison.

“Right about now. See you at breakfast Skittles!” Adam laughed as he hurried down the hall toward the stairs.

“I’m going to kill you!” Jill screamed at Adam’s retreating back as he skipped down the steps. She turned to Lindsay and scowled. “We need to get some dirt on that guy, quick.”

“You guys are vicious, you know that, right?” Lindsay replied.

“We raise lawyers in this family,” Jill retorted. “You were warned before you agreed to come out here with me. Now, after breakfast and Alex leaves, we’re going to toss his room to see what we can find. Our flight isn’t until later this afternoon.”

“We?”

“Do you want to get lucky ever again?”

Lindsay sighed in defeat. “I guess we’re tossing his room later.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Olivia squeezed Alex’s large suitcase into the trunk beside her own and slammed the hatch shut with a resounding _thud_. She absentmindedly wiped her hands off on her jeans as she turned to where Alex was saying goodbye to her family. She stood and watched the mass of blondes interacting for a few moments, enjoying the easy familiarity the group shared. They were a good family. Not just because of money, but they genuinely cared about each other.

“Get your ass over here and say goodbye properly, Olivia!” Adam hollered across the drive at her.

She caught Alex’s eye and grinned, before she began walking back toward the group. “What?” she drawled as she slid in beside Alex and wrapped a protective arm around the blonde’s shoulders.

“Get over here,” Adam grinned as he yanked her away from his sister and pulled the stunned detective into a strong embrace. “You’re good for Alex. Take good care of her for me, okay?” he murmured.

Olivia smiled and hugged him back. “I promise.”

“Good,” he replied as he released her and stepped away. “Well, you’ve survived your first Cabot Clan holiday. You going to come back for more?”

Olivia looked over at Alex and smiled. “Yeah, I think I can manage that.”

“D’aaaawwwwww,” the Cousins sang.

“Give it up, you lot,” Maggie laughed as she pushed through the crowd to pull Alex into a fierce hug. “I’m happy for you, Alex honey,” she whispered. “She’s a keeper, don’t screw it up.”

Alex chuckled. “I’ll try my very best not to,” she assured her aunt as she watched her mother approach. “Thanks for everything, Mom,” she murmured as she pulled her mom into a hug.

“Good luck, Baby,” Carolyn whispered as she squeezed her youngest tightly. “If you need help with anything, just let me know.”

“Of course,” Alex replied softly.

“Good,” Carolyn said as she stepped back and wiped at her eyes. “Well, you two had better get on your way if you want to make it back to the city before dinner. Traffic is probably going to be a mess,” she elaborated as she pulled Olivia into a hug. “Take care of my little girl, Detective Benson,” she murmured.

“I’ll do my best ma’am,” Olivia assured her.

“I know you will.” Carolyn smiled.

“Well, on that note,” Jill called out, “call me when you get the you know what figured out and we’ll talk. That’s going to require some _major_ planning Cuz.”

“The what?” Olivia asked, looking askance at Alex who was glowering at her cousin.

“Never mind,” Alex grumbled, still shooting daggers at her smirking cousin. She should have never told Jill about the ring her mother gave her for Olivia. “Don’t forget Edward,” she smirked at her cousin.

The Cousins, who had all been enlightened on who ‘Edward’ was over breakfast, laughed as Maggie asked, “Who’s Edward?”

“Nothing, mom,” Jill blushed and Lindsay looked ready to head for the hills.

“Let me tell you about Jill’s friend Edward,” Adam drawled with a wink goodbye to his sister as he wrapped an arm around his favorite Aunt’s shoulders and reached for the phone in his pocket.

“Don’t you dare, Adam Christopher Cabot,” Jill growled.

“Bite me, Skittles,” Adam retorted as he pulled up the file on his phone. “This is Edward.” He turned the screen toward Maggie, and a curious Carolyn who had snuck in to see what her son was talking about, so they could see the picture he’d snapped earlier.

“Adam!” Carolyn admonished.

Maggie just laughed and turned to her daughter and Lindsay. “Sparkles?”

“And on that note,” Alex called out, “we’ll be going.”

“Bye!” the group called out laughingly, the lot of them waving as Alex and Olivia slid into the ADA’s little car.

“So,” Alex sighed as they started down the long, winding drive. “You glad you came?”

Olivia bit her lip and smiled. “Yeah,” she replied. “I’m glad.”

“Me too,” Alex murmured, reaching across the center console to place her right hand on top of Olivia’s left. “Me too.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alex pulled into her parking space in the garage under her building and killed the engine as she looked over at her sleeping lover. She sat in the silence for a moment, reflecting on the past few days and all the insanity that had inevitably occurred. And Olivia had handled it all marvelously. _She is going to make a fine addition to the family some day_ , Alex thought to herself as she toyed with the ring she’d slipped into her jeans pocket. _Someday, I will make her mine._

“Mmm,” Olivia murmured as she stirred, awakened by the absence of movement now that the car was stopped. “Sorry,” she apologized as she stretched. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Alex assured her as she leaned across the gap to kiss the still sleepy brunette tenderly. “We’re home.”

Olivia smiled and nodded. “Home,” she repeated.

“Home. Our home,” Alex elaborated, her heart taking flight in her chest as she said the words. “Our home,” she repeated softly. She liked the sound of that.

A lot.

 

# End.


End file.
